Canary Cry Canary Fly
by RogueAngel82
Summary: Leaving Starling after Oliver and Sara's death seemed like the only way for her to escape the pain. But during a journey to find herself; a dangerous encounter and a revealed family secret, leads Dinah Laurel Lance down an unexpected path. One she realises she was always meant to take. A path to becoming a strong true Black Canary. More comic book based Laurel.
1. Chapter 1

Hey there. I've had this story for a while. Written mostly for myself. I just wanted to make Arrowverse Laurel more like her comic counterpart Dinah. Black Canary is one of my favourite characters, and I actually started watching Arrow to see her in action. What I got was well….

This story features massive flashback like the series. Focusing on Laurel and her growth over the years. Starting just after the boat accident, right up until the end of the first season. 6 years in total.

….WARNING HEAVY AU…..

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything and I don't claim to own it.

 **Canary Cry. Canary Fly**

 _ **Starling City**_

 _ **Six Years Ago**_

"So that's it, you're leavin'?" He managed to make it sound like a demand and a challenge, as well as a question. Soaked through with a touch of disappointment.

Or maybe, Laurel thought looking down at her half packed suitcase, she was just projecting herself onto him. She let her light brown hair fall over her face, almost like shield. Feeling guilty and a bit like a coward, she finally turned to face her father. Quentin Lance stood at the doorway her bedroom, his worn face halfway between angry and heartbroken. She would know, she'd spent the last few weeks in the same state herself.

One month. That's how long it had been since Moira Queen had sat in her living room to tell them that not only had Oliver been lost at sea, but her sister had died out there with him.

That she had lost both of them at once.

Heartbroken for having lost them. Angry at them for cheating on her. Pain at the thought of never seeing them again. It was like a circle in her mind, anger to pain, pain to anger until all she wanted to do was _**scream**_.

"Sweetheart…." Quentin's face softened, as he no doubt read her face for what she was feeling. His own voice trembled with grief. "You don't have to do this. Please…."

"I need to get away," Laurel replied finally still refusing to look at him. But unable to deny him an explanation. Her father, her rock. "I need to separate myself from this. I can't stay in this city! Where I'm reminded of Sara and Oliver everywhere I look!"

"I know your hurt," Her father said, taking a step forward to kneel down in front of her as she sat down on her bed. "I know you're in pain. So am I. So is your mother. But running away wouldn't stop that, we're here to help each other. That's what families are for."

"Right families, especially sisters." Laurel muttered instantly feeling horrible at the negative thought directed at Sara. Her little sister, that wasn't even there to defend herself because she was dead. Dying in a shipwreck while sleeping with Laurel's boyfriend Oliver. Tears prickled the back of her eyes, followed by the sudden unexpected need to punch something. That would be the anger again.

Quentin took a sharp breath in through his nose and looked down at their clasped hands. "Okay," he said finally, "If you want to go that's fine. It's up to you. I don't believe running away is the best answer but if you feel you need too…"

He was cut off as Laurel suddenly throwing her arms around his neck, hugging him as hard as she could.

"I'm not going to be gone forever," She whispered finally pulling back, "I'll be back before you know it."

###

Her bag hit the floor with a faint thud, as she crossed the room to her bed for the night. She pulled out her phone, finding a message from her Dad and one from Thea. Her father's was just asking if she was alright, but Thea's was a more pain filled _'Wish you were here'_. She felt about an inch tall, as she flopped back onto the bed. Forgetting in the pain of losing both Ollie and her sister, Thea had lost her brother too.

She sent a message back to them, a quick ' _I'm fine. Call you later_.' To her Dad. And a more promise filled, ' _I'll always be there if you need me, call me whenever you need_.' To Thea.

She pulled herself to her feet, and opened her bag. Freezing for a moment, before reaching in and pulling out a canary plush toy. One from her childhood. She frowned for a moment as she couldn't even remember packing it, before she realised how it got there.

"Mom," Laurel whispered hugging the fuzzy yellow toy close. Dinah Drake Lance had something about Canaries. Little ornaments had sat around the house, the toy for Laurel and the living pet one for Sara.

She smiled through tears at the thought of her sister, trying to get that little Canary to sing.

Laurel hadn't spoken much to her Mother about leaving, but she had seemed to understand to need on a level Quintin hadn't gotten. But this little toy, was a connection to her and one to Sara.

A connection through Canaries.

###

New York City was not what she had expected. Truthfully she wasn't sure what she had expected, she had just hoped to get out of the City that reminded her so strongly of what she had lost. There were signs of Sara and Oliver all over Starling, literally in case of the Queen tower. But New York was different, she didn't know anyone here. The City felt huge around her, but at the same time she felt so isolated.

In a way it was what she needed. A way to disconnect for a while. Find out where she stood again in this world. To find herself.

Laurel used to have clear image of what she wanted to be, her future had laid out in front of her in a clear path. What she hadn't known was that not all parts of her life agreed with that plan.

What was the about her that had scared Oliver off? Why was the thought of a life with her so bad, he'd cheated on her with her own sister?

Was it her? Or had it been Oliver? Or Sara?

She didn't know the answer to that. She didn't know who she was anymore. Who was she if not an elder sister or Oliver's girlfriend? She'd been in love with Oliver since was she a child. It had become part of who she was.

Who was she now? Without Sara and Oliver?

Who was Dinah Laurel Lance?

She didn't know. But she was going to find out.

###

She knew there were odds that it was going to happen to someone. She just didn't think they would be against her. A robbery in the night, in the deserted streets. She felt like cursing her own stupidity as the thug went for her bag, she body fell into the instinct of the half remembered self-defence training her father had made her take. Blocking the move to throw him off weight, and kicking him in the side of the knee.

He stumbled before grabbing hold of her hair, fisting it at the back of her neck and slamming into a brick wall. Her lip burst and she tasted blood, as the man cursed and spat at her. Bloody lips pulled back in a snarl she twisted to elbow him in the head. He released her stunned, as she turned and punched out with no style or finesse just strength and anger. Her fist connected with his face, and he went down hard as her knuckles exploded in pain.

Clutching her fist in her other hand, she sent one last look at the downed man before fleeing down the street.

When she got back to her run and all but collapsed against the door. She looked over her red knuckles and touched her split lip with a flinch. Before giving a quick laughing huff, and letting her head fall back against the door.

Strangely she felt as if she'd gotten some control of her life back. Somehow.

Later as she was using a face washer to clean the cut on her lip, her phone rang. Blindly reaching for it she answered.

"Hewwo?" She started before pulled the cloth again. "Sorry Hello?"

"Laurel?" The voice on the other end was unmistakable.

"Mom!" Laurel exclaimed before biting back a cry as the bruising on her face pulled.

"Are you alright?" Dinah Drake question, "You sound funny."

"I'm fine," She managed grasping her face in an effect to stop it from moving so much as she spoke. "Fine!"

"Honey…"

"It's nothing." Laurel tried wincing not just in pain.

"Dinah Laurel Lance!" She should have known better; she never had been able to lie to her mother.

"Fine!" She exclaimed, "Someone tried to mug me. I'm OKAY! Just a little battered."

"Where are you?"

"Mom I'm fine," Laurel said quickly hoping to head off mama bear running to the rescue. Or even worse, if her father found out. "I knocked him out."

"You did?" The surprise in her Mother's voice would have been insulting, had it hadn't been warranted.

"Yeah I did," Laurel said looking down at her bruised knuckles. She was quiet for a moment. "Mom…is it wrong of me to have felt good knocking out that mugger?"

"No honey," Dinah said softly, before giving a sigh. "You were protecting yourself. Not surprising that you would feel good about that, given everything that's been outside your control…our control."

Her Mother's voice trailed off for a moment, and Laurel could feel the heaviness in the silence over the phone.

"I just wish I hadn't got beaten up a bit," Laurel said wiry.

"Yeah that would be…wait beaten up?" Dinah said voice darkening.

"I'm fine." Laurel repeated.

"Where are you?" Her Mother asked again.

"…. New York" Laurel sighed, half expecting the be ordered home despite her age.

"Okay good," Dinah replied and Laurel felt her eyebrows jump in surprise. "I have to go. Be careful there okay Laurel. Love you."

"Love you to." She replied hanging up. She stared at her phone for a moment in confusion, before it buzzed with a message.

It was an address for somewhere in Manhattan. Followed by a name and quick set of instructions.

 _Ted Grant_

 _Tell him Dinah Drake sent you._

 _Love Mom_.

###

The address her mother had given her, led to what looked like an abandoned building. She paused outside the large metal doors, and looked around. The massive windows were blacked out, and the front of the building was covered in graffiti. The voice of caution, that sounded like her father, made her take a step back from the doors.

But, she thought to herself, Mom wouldn't have sent to here for no reason.

Stepping forward, she pushed down on the large hinge door handle and stepped into the dark inside. She was throwing caution to the wind, and damn if it didn't feel good.

The small hallway, led to large room. Dimly lit, and full of equipment. It was a boxing gym, she realised, spotting the roped arena to one side. The punching bags to the other, and over the back weight equipment lined the far wall.

"Can I help you?" A male voice came behind her, and Laurel spun to find who had circled around her to come up behind her. It was a man, in his late forties maybe older. Maybe much older, it was hard to pinpoint. His dark hair was greying at the temples, and his scruffy face was covered in a salt and pepper stubble. But his body was fit, very fit. His very tall body, met with large shoulders and dense muscles.

All in all, he cut a very intimidating image.

"Hi, I'm Dinah Laurel Lance," Laurel said shifting slightly, "My mother sent me. Dinah Drake?"

"Dinah Drake." The man repeated before smiling, "Now there's a name I have heard in a while. I'm Ted Grant. What can I do for you Dinah?"

"It's Laurel." She corrected before looking around the gym, "I'm not sure what you can do for me. My mother just told me to come her."

"Does it have something to do with…" He trailed off pointing to Laurel's face.

She brushed the bruises with her finger tips. "Someone tried to mug me the other day. I stopped them."

"Good for you," Ted stated, sounding strange. Laurel couldn't pinpoint the emotion. It didn't sound like he was praising her though. Plus, she couldn't shake to feeling he was accessing her. "So you want to fight Dinah? You want some training?"

"It's Laurel. And …Well truthfully I didn't know what I was coming here for," Laurel laughed, shaking her head. She turned to look at the arena. "But yeah, I wanna learn how to fight."

"Why?" Ted asked simply, and Laurel blinked back at him.

"Mr. Grant, my sister and boyfriend died over a month ago. I need to get some control over my life again," Laurel explained.

"Alright Dinah," Ted Grant said leading her deeper into the gym. "Let's see what you can do."

 _ **New York City**_

 _ **Five and Half Years Ago**_

Ted had taken her as some kind of apprentice, and for just over half a year had trained her in boxing. He also would not stop calling her Dinah, so Laurel had stopped trying to correct him. It was her name as well.

Her father had been upset when she'd shown no signs of moving back to Starling. She had settled quite well into New York. There were things she missed from home. Her father the most, her mother as well. Thea too, but the young girl had come to stay with Laurel at her place a few times.

Laurel had started working in a little florist on the days she wasn't training.

It was a nice place to work. The flowers were beautiful, and smell had a calming effect. She needed it today. There was something going on with her Dad, he had sounded so strange the last time they'd spoken. The time before that, he'd been drunk.

She signed, and went on place the flowers into the arrangement. He father was a grown man; he could take care of himself. A grown man that had lost his youngest daughter.

Laurel buried her face in her hands.

Walking home that night, in the cold and dark was not something she enjoyed. But at least it cleared her mind.

"No please…." The faintly muffled voice came from a nearby alley, followed by the sound of scattering bottles.

"Please…" The woman's voice sobbed, and Laurel was running before the word even finished.

A young woman was sprawled on the ground against a dumpster, two men stood leering over her. They looked up as Laurel appeared in the alley, leers growing.

"One each," One of the men smirked to the other, and Laurel paused wondering why she had run towards the danger. Rather than call the police.

"Please help," The woman mumbled only half conscious. Blood dripped from her nose, and Laurel resolve hardened.

One day her father had admitted, that when she was a child he'd wanted her to become a police officer just like him. He'd tried his hardest to teach her right from wrong. Justice and protecting people. But when she'd grown up, and shown herself more academic then active. She'd turned her attention to Law school. That way she could still work with her Dad and could see that justice was done.

But now standing over the unconscious woman, and before her would be assaulters.

She realised, that sometimes that kind of justice would have come too late for some.

They lunged her together. She got an arm up to block the first grab, following through with a punch that knocked the man back dazed. The other went for her arm and tried the pull her off her feet. Ted's strength training came in handy then. Laurel was by no means super strong, she was however stronger than she once was. She was able to pull back on him, as she twisted to knee in him the stomach.

The move off balanced her, and he shoved her stumbling. She caught a nearby rolling bottle and as she straightened swung it at his head. The glass didn't break as the bottle connected with a thud, dropping the man to the ground.

Something collided with her, tackling her into the wall, and sending the bottle shattering to the ground. It was the other man, she realised as he pulled back to back hand her across the face. For a moment she saw stars.

Anger raw and fiery lit within her. As she turned back almost growling, and kneed him between the legs. As he doubled cupping himself, she followed through with a knee to the head. Before slumping against the wall, and catching her breath. Uttering only one word.

"Ow."

###

"Again Dinah?" Was Ted's reaction when he saw her bruises the next day. He shook his head in disappointment. "Didn't think I was training someone just so they could go out a pick a fight."

"It wasn't just a fight," Laurel defended. "A woman would have been raped, and maybe killed if I hadn't stopped them."

"Oh?" Ted looked interested, and Laurel got that feeling of assessment again off him. Almost like she as getting an interview. "Why?"

"I couldn't stand by and do nothing when I could have stopped it." Laurel exclaimed, she sighed sadly "You know my Dad's a cop, and I had all these dreams of being a Lawyer. Standing up for the little guy. Getting justice done."

"Sounds like a good dream," Ted replied.

"It was..then. Now I see another side of things." She sighed, gazing dropping to the ground. "Protect people before they get hurt. There enough pain in this world already, without people adding to it. Maybe I should have becomes a cop, like Dad wanted. Sorry I'm rambling."

"No I understand." Ted said with a nod, "Maybe it's time we move on with your training."

"To what?" Laurel looked confused, "I thought you were in a boxing instructor?"

"Oh that's what I love," Ted said with a smirk, "It's not all I know."

And Ted did know more…A lot more.

He taught her Muay Thai, a form of Thai kickboxing. Known as The Science of Eight Limbs because hands, shins, elbows, and knees were all used. Also Capoeira, a Brazilian martial arts, that looked more like a dance then fighting style. It was known for its quick and complex moves. Using mainly power and speed plus leverage for leg sweeps.

Later came Krav Maga, An Israeli military hand-to-hand combat, it assumed no quarter, and emphasizes maximum threat neutralization in a real life settling. It was basically the ends justify the means. And then Hapkido, Korean martial art, that focused on grappling and throws, as well as the use of traditional weapons. Such as staff, knives and swords.

Although Ted Grant's first love was boxing, he knew them all. And he was willing to teach her to see what she could pick up.

Apparently he had approved of something about her.

 _ **Starling City**_

 _ **Three and a Half Years Ago**_

Two years, that how long she'd been training with Ted. She'd been surprised with how much she'd picked up. But he'd told her she'd had a surprising natural affinity for fighting. He had remarked cryptically one day, that maybe it ran in the family.

Unable to work out what he meant by the statement she'd decided not to focus on it. Instead told him that she was going home to see her family.

There was something wrong with her father, and guilt of not realising it was eating her alive.

It was nice to be home, she got to see a few of her old friends. Even though the meetings had been strained, Laurel wasn't the same woman she had been when she left Starling.

And it was sort of weird not answering the Dinah. Not that she would ever tell Ted that.

She found her father in a bar, and watched as he stumbled to his feet to hug her. "Laurel!" He smiled at her, his eyes glazed. And she could smell the alcohol coming off his clothing. "What are you having sweetheart, next rounds on me."

"Dad," She said as gently as she could, "I went by the precinct. The desk sergeant said you were meant to be on duty, but didn't know where you were."

"Oh this is Laurel," Quentin said to the bar tender, "You know the daughter that lived."

"Is there a bar tender in the city that doesn't know that story?" Laurel questioned, her heartbreaking at the sight of her strong father reduced to his.

"Well excuse me for seeking a sympathetic ear." Quentin said as he swayed in his seat. "Some of us need more then…. whatever you've been doing. Running away was it? To get over Sara's death."

"I love you," Laurel said with a sad sigh, "So I going to ignore you said that. I'm sorry that I wasn't here. Please let me drive you home."

"No," Quentin shook his head and lent bar into the bar, "Give me another one."

The bar tender looked between the two of them, put his bottle down and walked away. Laurel then led the drunken laughing Quentin to the door.

###

She ran in Tommy at a party flirting with some woman.

"Still using that line," She laughed.

"Well well well," Tommy laughed, "Laurel Lance, I thought you were off doing somewhere saving the world?"

"Early days yet Tommy," Laurel laughed.

"Look at you," Tommy said giving her a once over, "You look good."

She did. Ted training and the diet he had her on was changing her body shape. Her arms and her 'chicken legs' as Sara once called them, had reshaped into strong muscled ones. Her body had put on a bit of weight to, adding curves to her body that she hadn't thought she'd have.

She shifted slightly scanning the crowd, she had the feeling she was being watched.

That was when Thea Queen arrived.

"I thought I told you this party was twenty-one and over," Tommy said to the young girl.

"It's fine, got it covered," Waving a card. Thea looked smug. "Fake I.D. Laurel how are you."

"Good," Laurel returned, taking in the way Thea stood in front of her. The arrogant tilt of her head. "You should come stay with me in New York again some time. We can go shopping."

"Hmmm maybe."

Tommy left to find his date, and Thea drifted off into the crowd. Laurel stood there looking after Thea, wondering how many lives were ruined by Sara and Oliver's death.

The night went down for there, as a drug dealer was found dead. Having fallen off a balcony, his neck broken.

###

She went back to New York feeling like she'd left a powder keg ready to explode back in Starling. But she'd made a promise to Ted that should train with him until he said she was ready. And she was going to keep her promises. Which was why she was surprised when she worked in Ted's gym to find her Mother standing there talking to Ted.

"Mom?" Laurel exclaimed as she walked in to the gym. The elder Dinah turned to smile at her daughter. "What are you doing here?"

"Catching up with a friend," Dinah replied smiling at Ted. Reminding Laurel that she never really found out how her mother knew Ted.

Laurel hadn't really spoken to her Mother lately; she was always taking off from one corner of the world to the next. Her Mother had also sounded strange last they had spoken. She had been adamant that Sara was still alive, and that she was going to find her.

Ted had just told her, to trust her Mother. Let her do what she needed to do. Either to find Sara, to find the acceptance to move on.

"Let's talk Laurel," Dinah said, giving a nod to Ted. Who returned it and headed off into his gym. "Ted said you'd taken to his training extremely well."

"Yeah well he's good teacher." Laurel shrugged.

"Yeah he is," Dinah smiled, "His had many students each of them expert fighters. More skilled then anyone you'll probably ever meet. He also thinks that it might be time for you to try something different."

"Different?" Laurel asked confused, unsure of what else she needed. She learnt to fight to gain control of her life. And more recently the secret hope that maybe she'd be able to help people with her skills.

"There's another teacher we know about," Dinah explained, "One that we think you would benefit to go and see. It's just he's in Japan."

"Japan?!"

 _ **Kyoto Japan**_

His name was Otomo Sensei.

An ancient looking Chinese man that lived in a little village outside Kyoto Japan.

Laurel soon learned never to judge a book by its cover. This man might have looked frail and old. But he was more than skilled enough to made up for it.

He was O-Sensei. He taught some of the greatest fighters that world had ever seen.

And he had agreed to teach her.

He taught her, in the heat. As the sun blazed over head, sweat dripping from her.

He taught her, in the wind. As dirt and leaves kicked up into her eyes, stealing her sight.

He taught her, in the hail. As bruises appeared across her body, from both the blows and the ice pebbles.

He taught her, in flooding rain. As the ground turned to mud beneath her feet and her hair fall sopping in her eyes.

He taught her, in the snow. As bare fingers, and thin clothing did nothing to protect her from the cold.

He taught her well.

 _ **New York City**_

 _ **Two and a Half Years Ago**_

Ted surprised her, celebrating her return by taking her out for drinks. It was a nice surprise, one that she dressed up for. Any excuse to wear something other than a training Gi. The night turned violent when a back room drug deal turned into a fight, that spilled into the main bar. Ted's unsurprised reaction told her, that maybe he was expecting something like this to happen.

The next second she was in an all-out fight.

Ted and herself outclassing the crowd in skill, but they made up for it in numbers. One move saw a broken bottle slice through her skirt from hip to knee, revealing the creamy muscled thigh beneath. More than one man stopped to look, and laughing Laurel took advantage of the distraction to send them into unconsciousness.

"Good," Ted said later as they walked back to his gym. "You handled yourself well."

"Yeah so did you," Laurel laughed.

"So you can fight Dinah," Ted shrugged smirking, "But can you keep up?"

"What?"

They found themselves on a rooftop. Laurel stood by the edge watching the cars below. "What are we doing up here?"

"You have to catch me." He said before turning and running across the roof. Laurel was chasing him before she even thought about why.

A few misplace steps and stumbles and almost falls. Ted called a stop for the night, only to take her back up to the roof the next and the next and the next.

Soon the daunting ledges and gaps seemed to appear narrower. As niches, pipes and stair wells became her ally in propelling herself across the rooftops.

"Nice Dinah," Ted smiled, "Nice."

###

The was a few days later that Laurel, found Ted sitting in the waiting for her.

"Hey Dinah come sit," He instructed, "You probably realised now I'm not just training you to fight right?"

"Yeah it's kinda obvious." Laurel smirked.

"The freestyle running isn't something I usually add to training," Ted admitted, "But most of the time the people I'm training already now it."

"Who?" Laurel frowned, "What?"

"I don't just train people to fight Dinah," Ted informed, "I train people to help. I know you came to me just looking to learn how to fight. But I saw something in you, we saw something in."

"We," Laurel repeated, before realising. "Mom."

"You could do so much good Dinah," Ted told her, "You have the skills. You just need to make a choice. Oh and this."

He handed her a box, which she opened slowly. Her jaw dropping at the sight.

"Ted!" She exclaimed glaring.

"What I got the idea the other day during the bar fight," He laughed standing "Your choice Dinah."

She looked down into the box. A black leather like body suit, shaped like a bathing suit was on top. The material was strong, reinforced almost. Black gloves with metal guards were next. A black leather jacket came after, metal guards across the shoulders. A pair of three quarter height boots followed, with the same metal guards over the shins. And then she pulled out a pair of black fishnets, sending a glare after Ted's back.

Only they weren't really fishnets. They were black metal mesh melded across a grey base.

They just really looked like fishnets.

She knew the reasoning, Use every weapon in her disposable.

When she got back to her place, another surprise awaited her. Her Mother sat on a chair in her little living room. Smiling up at Laurel as she came in.

"Laurel," She greeted standing to hug her daughter. "Oh I see Ted gave you the suit. Good. 'Though I wanted to hit him when he told me about it."

"Mom," Laurel said slowly, dropping the box on her bed, "What do you and Ted know about…."

"Vigilantes?" Dinah Drake suggested, a smile forming on her face. "Well used to be ones."

Laurel managed to choke on air.

"Whaaa….what?" Laurel managed, "Does Dad know?!"

"No! Of course not," Dinah said shaking her head, "I gave it up after I meet your father. Ted retired a while ago, but he still trains newcomers."

"How," Laurel asked dropping into the seat across from her mother.

"Oh things might have been different back then," Dinah shrugged, "But the basis was the same. We wanted to help people."

"We?"

"There was a group of us," Dinah waved that off, "There still quite a few around now. It's not that uncommon."

"You know truthfully I always hoped one of my daughters would follow me down this path," Dinah said looking said, "It's a dangerous life. But a fulfilling one. For a while I thought that Sara would be the one. She was the wild one, the passionate one. But in a way I always knew it was meant to be you. You cared so much about justice and protecting people. That's why you would have been a great Lawyer."

The two were quiet for a moment before Laurel glanced up at her Mother. "Can I ask you something? What name did you go by?"

"I was…. The Black Canary," Dinah Drake said with a smile, leaning back into her seat.

"Black Canary," Laurel echoed, then laughed, "Explains all the canary stuff around the house."

Dinah shrugged and didn't argue. "I don't know what you will decide," Dinah said after a moment, "I know you have a lot to think about. And I'll be behind you whatever you choose."

She reached into her bag and pulled out a small box. Laurel opening it found a black mask, and a small golden charm shaped like a canary.

"Maybe I could be, the Black Canary too?" Dinah Laurel Lance asked softly, and he mother lent forward to kiss her on the forehead.

 ** _Starling City_**

She'd come home to check on her father, thankful to find he'd given up drinking and was attending AA meetings.

It was that night in her home City, she put on the suit Ted had given her and the mask her Mother had given her. The golden canary charm, hung from a choker around her neck. A long blond wig finished it off. And went out into the Glades.

It was always easy to find trouble in the worst area of Starling City. With gangs everywhere, and the police nowhere to be found. The whole place was thug rule. She'd stopped one would be rapist and his friends. Helped a number people from getting beaten. When a young voice yelling caught her attention.

"Hey you jerk's leave me alone!" Black Canary turned in that direction. She found a young girl surrounded by a group of men. She wore a large leather jacket and ripped jeans. Her black hair cut short and spikey.

"Oh come on," One name mocked, "We just wanna play."

"I'll play with you," Laurel remarked smirking stepping out of the shadows. "But trust me. You won't like the game."

"Oh babe, I think we will."

"First, don't call me babe," Laurel said stepping forward, "And second, don't say I didn't warn you."

As the men lay groaning around her, some unconscious some wishing they were. Black Canary stood in the middle of them, lacing her fingers together to crack her knuckles and her back. "Like I said. I warned you."

"Oh wow," A young female voice piped up, and Laurel turned to see the dark hair girl before standing there gaping at her. "Who are you."

"You can call me Black Canary." Laurel smirked.

"What seriously," The girl asked, before coming forward. "I'm Sin."

 _ **New York**_

 _ **Two Years Ago**_

She'd spent half a year in Starling City, before Ted messaged her that he needed her help with something. So she headed back to New York. Her phone buzzed on the way there.

 _Hey Dinah, I tried that move you taught me on this really grabby guy the other day. Lol you should have seen him run. Sin._

She smile thinking about the spunky tomboy she'd saved the last times she'd been in Starling. Cindy had been her name, but she would only ever answer to Sin.

She'd caved to Sin's constant asking for a real name, and had given her the first name that came to mind. But in the end, it was actually her name.

She smiled at the message and put her phone away, finally reaching her destination. It was a Brownstone near Battery Park. The door opened for her as she approached, and she stepped through looking around. But spotted no one.

"Dinah?" Ted's voice called deeper into the building. "Come in. I'm back here."

Curiously she made her way into the building. The room Ted was standing in was huge, with a large table in the mid of it. Computer screens ran the length of one wall, and the other showed a collection of photos.

"Hey, you called me?" Laurel asked.

"Yeah I need your help tracking down someone," Ted said, handing over a photo to her.

The woman in it was close to Laurel own age, black hair and blue eyes. She looked up in question to Ted.

"Her name's Zatanna," Ted informed, "I was sharing information with her when I lost contact. It might be nothing, but it's better to be safe than sorry when Zatanna is involved."

"Where was she when you lost contact?" Laurel asked.

"Metropolis." Ted replied. "There's just one thing you should know. What do you know about magic?"

 _ **Metropolis**_

Magic….

Everything Laurel had known about or thought she'd known about the world had changed so much in the last couple of years.

She went to the location in Metropolis Ted had said Zatanna was checking out. An area in China town. The massive curved rooftops, made rooftop running interesting. It wasn't hard to follow her path when she found it, it was however creepy.

Very, very creepy.

The people shuffled around the street as like something out of a zombie movie. She stuck to the rooftops to avoid coming close to them. But the groans coming from the road sent shudders up her spine. The roof access opened easy with a forceful kick and the Black Canary made her way down the fire escape stairs.

She dropped down silently on to the upper balcony of the theatre. Long pale blond strands of her wig flying. She peaked over the edge to see people moan and crawled over the chairs below. The people inside seemed even more effected then those outside. On the stage, a large pillar glowed with purple energy. Seemly to pulse every now and then. A man knelt before it, his hands in air moulding the energy.

Something told her, she didn't want to take him on just yet. Plus, he wasn't her target.

As quickly and quietly as she could, Black Canary made her way through the hallways. A large man, groaned and moaned as he pulled himself on to floor down the hallway. Fingers clawing at the ground in front of him. His skin shrivelling and sinking over his bones. Laurel froze as she came up behind him. Finally, she hit him in the back of the head, and watched as he slumped to the ground.

"I'm never watching a Zombie movie again," She muttered. Straightening and moving further down the hall. When another glow caught her attention. A white dome of light, and in the middle. Wearing black and white suit tailed jacket and fishnet leggings, was the woman she had been looking for.

"Who are you? How did you…." Zatanna asked in shock, "You're not being effected by Faust's soul sucking spell?"

"Soul sucking…." Laurel echoed blankly, awash with disgust and fear at the very idea. "Well that explains it."

"He must have taken enough, and is trying to harness it now. Oh not good." Even as she was shaking her head, a flash of light went off and Zatanna's dome faded. "I had to put that up when he started his spell. If it's ended now, I have both good news and bad news."

"Good news, Faust is going to be weakened. That was some serious magic." Zatanna explained. "Bad news, if we're not quick the souls are lost for good. And Faust uses them to get stronger."

"Faust?"

"The bad guy who's using souls to get stronger." Zatanna replied simply.

"Got that." Black Canary replied blankly. "Ok. So stop him now and quickly, basically."

"Basically," The dark hair woman nodded, and with that both woman where running back through the Theatre.

"Faust!" Zatanna shouted as they arrived on the stage. "Release these innocent souls!"

"No," The man said simply raising to his feet. "They belong to me."

"I'm going to disrupt this," Zatanna informed pointing to the purple ball of energy. "He's going to try and stabilize it. Which is when he'll call his back up. You need to hold them off."

"Back up?!"

"Them!" Zatanna shouted pointing. Laurel turned taking in a gathering zombie, their glazed shinning eyes.

"I hate zombies…."

What happened next was a blur of kicks and punches.

They pressed in on her from all angles, clawing and pulling. She lost her wig somewhere in the tangle of limbs. A blast of magic struck her in behind, and she went flying. Slamming into a pillar and holding her there, pressing her into it. The zombies turned to stumble up on to the stage towards Zatanna as she worked her magic on Faust's pillar.

Others turned towards her, fingers and snarling mouths coming towards her. Grimacing she pulled at what invisible thing it was the held her there, but nothing gave. She looked up just in time to see the faces of the zombies pressing closer. Beyond that Faust was above Zatanna, the young woman locked in her spell could only look up at him with wide eyes.

Black Canary pulled and heaved, and opened her mouth to scream.

And she _screamed_.

The sound wave of sound was so dense it rippled through the air, sending the unsouled tumbling together away from her. The ground in before her cracked and split open, as the stage shook from the sound waves. Behind it wood beams splinted and then shattered.

"NO!" Faust shouted as he tumbled backward, something flashed and there was a burst of light before the purple energy exploded outward expanding.

Laurel slumped to the ground suddenly.

People lay groaning around her, one or two people started to cry. And Zatanna grabbed hold of her arm.

"Let's get out of here." The magi said pulling Laurel to her feet.

On the roof they watch the people on the street, returning to normal and leaving as quickly as they could.

"Where's Faust?" Laurel asked even as she heaved in air.

"He got away," Zatanna said unhappily, before she smiled. "But everyone got their soul back. So happy ending."

"Right souls back," Black Canary echoed blankly as she looked across at Metropolis.

"What was the sound attack?" Zatanna asked.

"I don't know," Laurel said, a hand rubbing her throat. "I've never done it before. Have you seen anything like it?"

"It's not magic." Zatanna said with a shrug. "Could be one of these gene quirks. Happens to people every now and then."

"Gene quirks?" Laurel asked.

"Yeah you know, normal person one day." Zatanna said with a shrug. "Life and death situation the suddenly... I don't know, they're super strong. I dunno what it's called. It just happens sometimes."

"So, thanks for the assist," Zatanna said offering Laurel her hand. "I'm Zatanna."

"Black Canary," Laurel replied.

"If you every need a hand with something of the magical kind, give me a call." Zatanna said handing Laurel her number,

"There's more magic stuff out there?"

"Oh heaps," Zatanna said with a shrug, "You might run into some more users. Oh and if you ever run into a guy called John Constantine punch him for me."

 _ **Kyoto, Japan**_

 _ **One Years Ago**_

Thrown off by the sudden emergence of her power. Laurel had returned to O-Sensei, finding a need to hone and control the powerful scream. Her mother and Ted had never come across this power, though they weren't too surprised by the idea that powers existed.

She'd been there for a little over a month when she'd heard on the news that Oliver Queen had been found alive, having been living on a deserted island for the last five years.

Laurel was unsure how she felt about it. Even as she locked herself in her room, for a good long cry. The part of her that had been in love with him, was happy that he was still alive. The part the missed her sister, was wondering why it was him and not Sara.

She was switching between the need to track him down, to either punch him or hug him.

Punch him until he wished he was back on that island he'd been on.

Hug him and tell him how much she missed him. And never let him go.

She threw herself back into training. When over the course of a year she heard of the appearance of a hooded vigilante in Starling City. An archer that left a trail of bodies behind him. Bad guys Laurel knew, but still what line was there if the people trying the save the city killed more people than the bad guys? She blackened and blued people and broke a few bones. She had never had and never would kill.

It was later in the year she heard another news report out of Starling. An earthquake in the Glades had killed an unbelievable amount of people.

Maybe it was time for her for her to go home. It seemed Starling City was in need of the Black Canary.

 _ **Starling City**_

 _ **Present**_

It was early morning that Dinah Laurel Lance, bleached sunshine blond hair trailing behind her. Drove it in Starling City on the back of a motorcycle.

########

Fun Facts.

Ted Grant helped train Batman. Plus multiple other fighter in the DC world.

Dinah Laurel Lance, originally wore a blond wig. Before just deciding to dye her hair blond.

Dinah Drake Lance was the first Black Canary in the comics, she introduced her daughter to Ted for training.

Lady Shiva didn't actually train Black Canary. She offered but Dinah turned her down. Not wanted to risk compromising her morals. They do however share a same master, O-Sensei. This created a sort of closeness between the two.

John Constantine trained under Zatanna boyfriend in magic. He taught him everything he knows. Zatanna then left her boyfriend for John, who later did what he does best and broke her heart.

The Chinese Theatre is based partly on a Zatanna/Faust mission in DC online. :D

Question...how do you think what this Laurel would go in a fight against Arrow fighters.

Oliver? Thea? Sara? Nyssa? Merlyn?


	2. Chapter 2

A/N:

This goes into the start of season 2 Arrow. Season 1 played out mostly the same, there were some changes due to Laurel's absence. Such as: No Tommy/Laurel romance, she left town before that happened. No Oliver/Laurel closure. He came home and she wasn't there. Season 2 now, will be different then the show. Due to a fully trained, fully powered Black Canary being around.

Flashback will still appear, spread out through the chapters. They will be marked, and in italic.

 **Canary Cry. Canary Fly.**

Chapter Two

Hopeless, that was how she felt riding through the city and it was getting worse with each block she passed. The ride through Starling City was so distressing that she had to stop the motorbike at one point, and just breathe. Buildings lay broken and crumpled, some looking completely crushed while others were still half standing as if to mock what it had once been. Emergency services were still around, group's a people gathering in shanty towns, and all around them were police barricades. Blocking off road's that she'd known all her life, that now lay cracked and broken.

Confronted by the sight and feeling overwhelmed by the devastation around her, Laurel kicked her bike into gear and speed off down the street.

The first place she visited was her Father's precinct. The need to see her Father had been building since she first heard about the earthquake, rising sharply until she finally reached Starling. And now after diving through the devastation, she was almost running for the doors to reach him.

The sight of him standing before her brought a rush of relief, and a release of a breath she hadn't realised she had been holding.

"Dad!" Was the relief filled cry she made, throwing her arms around the surprised form of her father. Mentally sending 'thank you's' to everything and anyone that was listening, she'd lost to much to lose him too.

"Laurel?!" Was Quentin surprised reply, before he too wrapped his arms around her. "Oh sweetheart."

She had one precious moment in his hug, and for a split second all was right with the world. But as he as he pulled back, she couldn't help but wonder how many families would never get to hug their loved ones again.

"You're here," Quentin stated, giving her another squeeze before releasing her. "I'm so happy to see you."

"Me too Dad," Laurel replied and it was then she properly got a look at him. She frowned as she noticed what he was wearing. "Ehhh Dad?"

"What? Oh this?" Quentin said tugging on my patrol officer uniform. "Surprised? I know I am. You know, that it still fits me after all these years."

She blinked up at her Father. Lips pulling into a small smile at her Father's way of dealing, to poke fun at anything and everything, including it seemed being demoted. But settled on asking, "What happened?"

"Ah honey," Quentin said with a heavy sigh, "You just missed a hell of a year."

"Yeah looks like it."

###

Her Father's story would have come across completely crazy, if not for the last few years she herself had, had. Still the fact it was her Father had been through this, cut a bit close. The Hood, as the press and news had dubbed the archer vigilante. Had worked with her father. Her father, the best cop in Starling had gone outside the law to work with the vigilante. To help people.

She didn't know whether to be terrified or proud.

Only it hadn't gone to plan. After a year of trying to catch the Hood and then finally working with him, to stop a disaster worse than anything the city had ever seen.

He Father had tried to stop the earthquake.

"So now you're disappointed?" Quentin said trying to read her silence. "Or mad at me?"

"Proud." She said with a smile. "Terrified at what could have happened. But I'm proud of you."

"Yeah? Well that makes one of us." Quentin huffed in reply.

###

"Laurel?" The surprised call of her name, in a familiar voice came as she was leaving the Precinct. "Oh my God you're here. You're back!"

"Jo!" Was Laurel equally surprised reply. Joana de la Vega rushed forward to give her college friend a hug. "I didn't know you were back. When did you get here?"

"Today," Laurel replied, before gesturing to the Precinct. "I just dropped by to see my Father."

"Oh Officer Lance." Joana said nodding with realisation.

Laurel frowned, both from the sound of hearing her father's demoted title, and wondering how Joana knew that.

"I'm working in the D.A's office." Joana explained probably realising the need. "As Assistant District Attorney."

"What happened Joana?" Laurel said suddenly concerned. This path was not one her friend would ever have picked beforehand. "You never wanted to work in the D.A's office."

"It's nothing…I just…. I got suckered." Joana said after a moment looking uncomfortably at anything but her friend. She was silent as Laurel gently pulled her to the side, before she sighed and explained. "You're heard about the Hood right? When he first showed up people had a mixed reaction. Some loved him, some thought he was dangerous."

"I thought he was just what this city needed. I was working on a case with this dirt bag Martin Sommers." Joana paused rubbing her forehead, "He sent people after me. The Hood saved my life. I guess I got a bit vocal in my support, because he came to me for help. There was this guy Declan, imprisoned wrongly for killing his wife. He wanted my help to get him out. There was this prison riot, and I saw the Hood there. And I saw what he really was. A cold blooded killer."

"And then the city collapses?!" Joana exclaimed throwing her arms up. "The building I worked at was in the Glades. Now its buried under tonnes of rubble. I just thought, did his coming here cause that?"

"Oh Jo!" Laurel exclaimed, heart going out to her friend for her ordeal. What it must have been like for her? She herself could probably handle it. But before? How would someone _normal_ have handled all that.

"So I'm going to help the police catch him." Joana vowed. She took a deep breath, and seemed to gain from strength from it, because she smiled.

"Oh the way. I love the hair!" Joana said brightly after a moment. "It suits you!"

###

The next place she visited was an address given to her by Ted.

Apparently he had brought a small ware house, for an extremely cheap price. It wasn't in the Glades but it was close enough, that the owner had seemingly wanted to cut it loose. Their loss, was Starlings gain Laurel thought. Ted had spoken about maybe opening an opening a gym here like his one in New York, a place for the community.

But until that plan went through, Ted had offered it as a place for Laurel to stay. Leaving town six years ago meant she lost the rental on her apartment. Plus, she didn't want to move in with her Father.

It worked out well, she thought.

Then she opened the door to the building, squinting into the cold dark interior. She sighed heavily and she smiled what she hoped was an optimistic smile, and entered saying to herself.

"Nothing a few throw rugs can't fix."

###

The next few days she spent dealing with deliveries. So many that she had been tempted to call up Ted to yell at him to stop.

The gym had been set up with equipment, mirroring the gym that Ted had in New York. The office area had been transformed into more of a home. Nothing expensive, but comfortable enough. Not that Laurel minded, she spent her time during her training sleeping on a thin mat on the ground.

###

She didn't know what brought her there. Standing outside the club in the middle of the day. It had taken an extreme amount of willpower just to get herself there, but as she stood in sight of the doors, she froze. _Verdant_ , it suited its name she thought, taking in the bright green logo. Verdant the colour of lush green grass.

Was Oliver in there? She wondered, biting her lip. It was his club, she'd heard. But was he in there right now? Separated from her by just a wall and a painful history.

Was she still such a coward, she wondered to herself. Looking down at the sidewalk. Give her armed thugs, exploding buildings or rooftop chases and she would handle it all.

Oliver Queen? She crumpled at the simple thought of him.

What was it about the man? That he'd cheated on her with her sister? That he taken her sister to her death? That she'd loved him and he'd died?

That she'd finally come the terms with the loss and now he was there?

She thought a deep breath fortifying herself. Before stepping forward and all but marched towards the doors.

Punch him or Hug Him. She still hadn't decided.

###

The place was completely empty and silent. Given the size of the place it doubled the effect.

"We're closed." A female voice called, followed by the sound of heels as a familiar brunette made her way to the bar.

"Thea?" Laurel called, trying to keep the uncertainty out of her voice. She'd been away for so long, and Thea had been in such a dark place the last they'd spoken. She watched with a hopeful smile as the young woman spun towards her.

"Oh my God Laurel?!" Thea yelled, hurrying over to hug her. The beaming smile on her face a far cry from the blank look she's sported the last time they'd seen each other. "When did you get into Starling."

"A couple a days ago," Laurel admitted, she quickly added. "I had to settle some things first."

"You came by to see Ollie," Thea realised, stepping back to give Laurel a small smile. Half knowing, half sad. "He's not here."

"Not here?" Laurel repeated, stomach twisting at the thought that maybe she'd waited too long.

"Oliver left town, he said he was going to Europe. Haven't heard from him." Thea explained with a shrug, before she shook her head. "Tommy left too. Seems you started a trend."

"Thea…." She trailed off, the guilty feeling for running welling in her again. But what good was she to anyone at the time? She wondered.

"Sorry." Thea uttered, shifting slightly. "I didn't mean it like that,"

"Oliver and Tommy? They both left town?" Laurel questioned frowning uncertainly. "Together?"

Maybe they'd left to go on a bro-tour, she thought, maybe Ollie hadn't changed that much.

"No," Thea shock her head, shooting down that theory. "Tommy left ages before Ollie. They had some kind of a fight."

Unable to name the swirl of feelings that went through her, Laurel could think of nothing to say. The disappointment, the uncertainly, the sadness, the _relief_? She'd finally gotten her nerve up to see him, and he wasn't even there.

Leaving me behind again Ollie? She thought to herself, before getting angry at herself for feeling that way.

"Now I'm left here, running his club. A city going _**crazy.**_ " Thea continued falling into, what was probably to her, a familiar rant. "And a _woman_ behind bars, that was once my Mother."

Emotionally dizzy Laurel could only physically reach out to stop Thea mid rant.

"Thea what!?"

###

They sat at the bar as Thea explained her Mother's part in what had been called 'The Undertaking', at the end an emotionally drained Thea slumped forward and all Laurel could do was hug her.

"I'm so sorry," Laurel said as she pulled back, heartsick for her young friend.

"Wasn't you fault," Thea muttered, doing what she had probably been doing for a while. Closing herself off. "I gotta ask. What's up with the hair? It looks good on you, but it's lighter than I thought you'd ever go."

"What can I say," She smiled with a half shrug, "I wanted to be blonde."

"Thea you there?" A call came from deeper in the club, as a young man dressed in red walked towards them. He blinked at the sight of them together. "Oh sorry I didn't realise…"

"It's ok Roy," Thea said jumping to her feet with a smile, the sudden change in emotions causing Laurel to look back and forth behind the two. "Roy this is an old family friend, Laurel. Laurel this is my boyfriend Roy Harper. Laurel just moving back to Starling after being away for a while."

"Nice to meet you Roy," Laurel said shaking his hand, "I guess I missed a hell of a year."

"You could say that," Roy said with a short laugh, surprising Laurel with a rather intense look. "Too bad the Hood's missing now."

"Missing?" Laurel echoed.

"Yeah," Roy nodded. "No one's seen him in a while. It's bad, the city really needs him."

Thea huffed and rolled her eyes, and Laurel's gaze flicked between the two of them.

###

"First night back home," The female voice in her ear chatted away, as Black Canary made her way across the rooftop to look over the City. "Nervous or excited?"

"A bit of both I think," Black Canary replied, pausing at the edge of the building gazing out across the city.

"Watch out for the Hood guy," The voice continued, sounding concerned. "We're not sure what to make of him."

"He hasn't been seen in a while," Black Canary informed her simply. Uncertain about whether she was relieved about that fact or disappointed. She had wanted to get read of the guy herself.

"Wow. The City going through an attack like the earthquake and now it's vigilante disappears?" The voice sounded stunned. "Be careful out there alright. I can't image what it's going to be like."

"Well why don't we get started." Black Canary asked, "Who's our first dance partner?"

"So many to choose from. Let's see what we got… Ohhh wow Hood copycats, but their using guns instead of bows. They mostly hit high society functions. Give the funds to the poor, nice idea bad way to do it. I'll keep an eye out for them. What else…Mob activity is on the rise, the Triad has something going one with stolen hospital drugs, they're intercepting shipments. No shipments scheduled for tonight though. I'll defiantly keep an eye on that. Random violence attacks... oh here we go… Gang activity. Leader calls himself the Mayor… Clever." The arid tone to her voice implied anything but, "Multiple gang members. Heavily armed with military weapons. Police haven't been able to locate them."

"I'll have to ask around." Black Canary replied around mentally working out at plan.

"Way ahead of you," The voice replied "Military track all their weapon shipments. If they kept the crates, I'll be able to track them."

There was silence for a moment then a muttered "Damn."

"What happened?" asked Black Canary turning her head. Even through the owner of the voice was too far away to see.

"They turned the trackers off." The woman's voice replied. "Good for them. But lucky for us, these trackers have a little floor. One sec….annnnddd done. HA!"

"What did you do?"

"I just turned it on remotely." The voice said, and Laurel could hear the grin in her voice. "Got you an address."

"Thanks," Laurel said unable to stop her own grin. "What would do I without you."

 **2 years ago**

 **Gotham**

 _She'd taken on her mother's old title Black Canary only a few days ago. It had been like the first few days of new life. The last few years had also, had a massive change on her. On the way she moved, on the way she looked at things. She felt like she was getting stronger every day._

 _That was when she found got she was going to Gotham._

 _If there was one city that had the reputation of being the crime centre, Gotham won it. It made Starling look like Metropolis in comparison._

 _She didn't know what he had planned for her, but Ted's instructions had just been an amused 'Keep an eye on the shadows'._

 _It hadn't taken that much time to locate her targets._

 _She'd chased them as quickly as she could, finally locating them in a large termite ridden row of abandoned houses. It was an old dark uninhibited neighbourhood in Gotham. Ducking down into the hidden cover of nearby bush and shrubs. She pulled Ted's heat sensor, and aimed it at the houses. Most of them showed dark and shadowy but one lit up with colour. It showed the body shapes of three large figures, and one in the basement._

 _Laurel jaw clenched so hard, it started to ache._

 _###_

 _The window shattered as a black clad figure crashed through the already broken glass. The woman, wearing all black, with a blond hair wig, took out one man before they even hit the floor._

 _Another man lunged her, and she meet him with kick to the body, followed by a lightning fast punch to the head. She spun in time, kicking an old rickety chair at the third man as he raised his gun. Planting a hand on his shoulders, she flipped over his head. Landing behind him, she turned to kick him in the back. Knocking him forward into the other man, and sending them down to the ground._

 _She zip tied their hands together, and made her way to the basement stairwell. Bracing herself as the old rotten stairs shifted and groaned under her, she made it down to the concrete below._

 _The woman was tied to a chair, blindfolded. Laurel fought the urge to go upstairs and finish what she'd started._

 _She reached up and pulled off the blindfold. Plastering what she hoped was a helpful smile despite the mask._

" _Are you alright?" She asked, her voice coming out distorted, disguised. The woman nodded her eyes wide. "Are you Zoey Mayfield?"_

" _Yes." She said, and Laurel moved to untie her. "Who are you?"_

" _A friend."_

 _###_

 _She watched from the shadows as a police cruiser took Zoey back to her family. Smiling she turned to head back to her own home, when her com unit suddenly clicked._

" _If you can hear this. I need your help," A female voice said over the ear bud._

" _Who is this?" Laurel asked. "How did you get this frequency?"_

" _I know Wildcats frequencies, but it doesn't matter," Laurel frowned at the use of Ted call sign but said nothing as the voice's urgency started bleeding through. "I need your help. There's a hostage situation." She went on the explain the details._

" _Who are you?" Laurel repeated. Wanting to help but trying to figure out if this was a setup._

" _I'll tell you after," The woman's voice replied finally. "Please people are going to get hurt, maybe killed. Look I know you don't know who I am, and have no reason to trust me. But if you don't people are going to die."_

 _Black Canary was running before she'd even had a chance think it through. Jumping on her motorbike, speeding along as she followed the woman directions._

 _Trap or not. If there was even a slim chance this was for real, she was willing to risk it._

" _I'm following you on the speed cameras," The woman explained, the was a moment of silence before the voice asked. "Hey, why are you wearing a wig?"_

" _Because I wanted to have blonde hair." Laurel called back flatly. "Is this really the time?"_

" _Why don't you just dye your own?"_

 _Laurel ignored that._

 _###_

" _Don't you have someone you usually call?" Black Canary asked as she crept up the stairwell of the office building._

" _Yeah. Sorry it's been really busy here." The woman explained, "The big guys away, so the mice are playing. Police are busy everywhere."_

" _Wont your boss be mad about you asking me to help?"_

" _Oh hell yes," The woman sighed, before adding simply. "But I'd rather he be mad at me, then have those people killed."_

" _Ok," She whispered pressing herself against the wall by the floor doorway, "I'm on the floor."_

" _Good luck," She woman reply just as softly._

 _Stealth wasn't usually her thing. Direct combat she could handle, but she had no real practice with sneak and grab. She thought she'd have to ask Ted to rectify that. But as it turned out she showed some natural skill for it, plus it helped to have the woman's voice telling her when to move, or the not move. When to duck or attack._

 _She snuck up behind one man, and had him quickly in a sleeper hold. She dropped him to the ground without a sound. With that done she move her way after the rest of the team, simply attacking unseen or as quietly as possible._

 _A small group of bound gaged hostages spotted her, taking down one of the men. They watched with large, stunned and hopeful eyes as she took out the others. Finally, one remained, he stood in the open but his back was to the room. Looking out the building windows._

 _He turned after a moment, to see a woman standing behind him. Clad in black with fishnets and blonde hair. Her red lips pulled into a sunny smile, right before she rushed him._

 _A devastating combo of punches and kicks, rained down on him. Even as the hostage realising the way out was open ran stumbling for the exit._

 _Finally, she stopped, the men laying around her out cold._

" _And that is that," The woman in her ear laughed, "I think we work well together."_

" _You know it just struck me," Black Canary said dusting her hands off, "I didn't trust you for at first. But how did you know you could trust me?"_

" _Oh Wildcat told me you were good," The voice said, "And you are very, very good. Trust me I would know."_

" _Who are you?" Black Canary asked finally, "You said you'd tell me."_

" _So I did," The woman replied, and Laurel could hear the grin in her voice. "You can call me Oracle."_

 _###_

Xavier Reed had given up his name when the Glade's had come apart around him. Calling himself The Mayor, he held his council at a night club he'd dubbed City hall.

For most of his life he was nothing, just another man, in another city. Doing to same old thing, with no meaning what so ever. Then the ground had come apart around him.

Now he was someone. He had made himself someone, someone that mattered. With his own base, and his own team, with his own weapons.

In his own city.

Everything was going his way. Or that's what he thought until he noticed the red flashing light coming from one of the weapons crates. Running over he used to butt of his rifle to smash the tracker apart before turning on his men.

"Who touched this?!" He demanded, glaring at everyone. When no one came forward he ordered. "Do a perimeter sweep make sure no one has gotten in!"

Which was when it happened.

 **SSSSSCCCCCRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE**

Around the gang everything made of glass shattered. Lights fittings rained sparks as the fixtures exploded. The ground beneath their feet shuddered as the foundation itself felt the onslaught

Reed had a sudden burst of fear, that the earthquake was happening again. But recognised as he clamped his hands over his ears and fall to the ground, the sound was definitely something else.

When the sound faded, the silence was suddenly just as loud. Xavier pushed himself up from the ground, glass shards scattering around him. He became aware of someone standing over him. His gaze worked its way up over black boots, and up over fishnet clad legs. Black suit and black leather jacket. Bright eyes stared out at him from behind a mask.

"Who?" He managed to ask. He'd heard of the Hood, the green archer that had been around during the year before. But with no sign of him, he like many others had assumed he'd died during the earthquake. But it seemed someone else had sprung up to take his place.

"Black Canary," Her disguised voice managed to sound teasing, he watched as bright red lips pulled into a grin right before she pulled her fist back and punched him.

Then nothing.

###

It was some time later she watched the news in horror. The grounp gun wielding hood copy cats had attacked a fund raising event and had killed to Mayor of Starling. She had sat on the edge of her seat as the reporter gave a quick rundown of what had transpired. It was long over with, and the police had long since moved it. But she still wished she'd had been there.

Oracle had told her about the copycats, but they'd been unable to track them. They came out of the woodwork to attack high society parties and such, never political events.

Never fund raisers.

She pushed herself back into her seat and sighed.

That was when the story shifted and the words 'Oliver Queen returns to Starling' ran across the screen. Laurel's stomach twisted. Her breath was knocked out of her and her world narrowed down to the screen. As she watched the man she'd loved and lost, in more ways than one, walk by the camera to get into his car.

She slumped forward head in her hands. He was back in Starling, she realised, she could go see him now.

Get up, she ordered herself. But made no move to do so.

" _Get up," Ted ordered as she lay collapsed on the mat. He's imposing form standing over her. "You get knocked down you get right back up. You don't back down; you don't chicken out; you don't have it in you. So you get up Dinah."_

She was on her feet and moving before the memory even faded.

###

Verdant was the first place she tried. It would have been the safest bet to find him once upon a time. But even as she walked through the doors, she wasn't sure she would find him there. Five years was a long time. Looking back, she could see how much she had changed during that time, how much had Oliver changed after being on that island?

The place was packed. A surprisingly large crowd for a place that was technically in the Glades. Well if there ever was a time and a people that needed to let loose and forget. Starling had experienced it.

She had made her way to her bar scanning to crowd for a familiar face. When she finally spotted one, just not the one she was looking for.

"Laurel!" Was Thea's hurried greeting as the young brunette appeared at the bar, to unload her tray of empty glasses. "You're back. Come to see this place in action?"

"Not my original plan," Laurel admitted with a smile, "But it's a great place….Sooo I saw that Ollie's back in town."

Thea shot her a side look and a grin, "I know he dropped by earlier. I however didn't tell him you were back. I wanted to see his face when he saw you for himself."

"That's kinda mean," Laurel couldn't help but laugh.

"Yeah well, it's payback for running away," Thea admitted, "For both of you."

The small smile she sent Laurel was meant too soften the words, and Laurel echoed it back at her. Watching as Thea loaded up on more drinks and moved to walk back into the crowd.

"Hey if you wanna pick you a tray and serve some drinks, you'd really be helping me out." Thea called back over her shoulder.

Laurel sitting at the bar laughed.

###

The shotgun blast silenced the music and sent the club patrons screaming to the ground. Laurel instinctively moved to rush forward but Thea's sudden vice like grip on her arm prevented her.

"We are looking for Oliver Queen." A hooded man yelled to the captured Verdant crowd. "We know he's back in town and that he owns this dump."

When no one replied, the man turns his gun on the crowd. Laurel brushed off Thea's hold and surged forward. Catching the man attention, as he aimed his gun on her.

"You volunteering blondie?" The man asked walked towards her. Thea grabbed hold of her arm again hugging her close, her nails digging into her skin. The gunman eyes flicked from Laurel to Thea, and Laurel cursed mentally.

"I suppose we can trade one Queen for another," The man said stepping forward, Laurel tensed ready in intercept him.

But all plans failed as Thea's boyfriend Roy, managed to get his hands on a gun.

Laurel was shoved to the ground, as a gun was pushed up against Thea's head. She climbed to her feet, only to freeze when the masked man pushed the gun harder into Thea's head. He gave a nod at Laurel for one of his team, and Laurel turned just into time to be met with a rifle butt to the face.

Darkness enclosed her.

###

She woke up with her Father leaning over her.

"Sweetheart!" Quentin's concerned voiced called as she went straight from laying down to sitting up. "Careful! You could have concussion!"

But Laurel wasn't playing attention. Oh my God Thea! Was all she was thinking.

"What happened!" She demanded turning to her Father. "Thea! What happened to Thea!"

"Sweetheart calm down please," He tried to sooth her, "You got hit in the head."

"Dad!" The simply word was enough to get her father to stop and look at her. He knew the tone well enough, her mother used it to. The no nonsense, stop talking and listen to me tone. "What happened?"

"The Hood copycats took Thea," Quentin said softly, before reaching up to stop Laurel as she climbed to her feet. "Sweetheart you need an ambulance!"

"I'm fine Dad," She stated because she was, in fact she was more than fine. She was furious. _Thea_ … "Dad I'm fine. I'm going to go sit down, and you work on find Thea quickly."

"Okay," Quentin agreed with a nod, directing her to a seat. But when he came back less than five minutes later, Laurel was gone.

###

Black Canary stood in the shadowed street. Her eyes scanning the worn old broken Church across the street. She glanced down at the little black device in her hand, looking at the little flashing light on the screen.

Oracle had sent her a 'housewarming' present when she'd moved back to Starling. A box of little canary shaped tracking bugs. It had limited range, but it worked in a pitch. Like when pinning one to a young brunette dress as a gunman held them at gun point.

Thea was in that Church.

She just wished her ploy to get it on Thea, hadn't ended in a massive head ache. She brushed her fingers across her mask, feeling the tender area underneath it. She'd definitely be getting him back for that one.

She set her jaw and moved in. These guys wear going to regret the day they took Thea Queen.

###

It seemed she wasn't the only person to track them to the Church, the sound of fighting reached her ears as she made her way in through the side entrance. It led her to the balcony of the main hall, and she froze wide eyed at the sight of the Hood taking the gunman apart down below.

He's back then, she thought, wanting the pause and watch him fight. But she had more important things to do. As a cry of pain and fear called her attention.

Thea! She thought in desperation. One of the gunman still held her, as he made his way down the balcony towards Black Canary. Narrowing her eyes, she moved smoothly in front of them. Watching as both Thea and the gunman's eyes widened in surprise.

"Let her go!" She ordered, only giving him a heartbeat to comply before moving forward to force in to. Armed he might have been, trained he was not. A simple disarming technique worked on him, to knock the gun away. Thea fall to the side, and Black Canary brought the gunman down with a quick kick punch combo.

She watched as the man slumped to the ground unconcious, and turned to check on Thea. Only to find herself staring down the shaft of an arrow.

"Move away from her," The deep dark voice ordered. Black Canary's eyes flicked from Thea to the Hood, and thought to herself that there was no way she was leaving her vulnerable friend her with a known murderer.

She moved to reach Thea when his bow lashed out neatly block her move.

She stopped short pulling back to avoid to swing.

Eyes narrowing as she glared at the shadowed face before her. "Are you sure you want to play it like that?" She taunted even as she settled into a combat stance. "Trust me you don't want to fight me."

"I would say the same to you," Was the deadly reply.

She knew she shouldn't be doing this. Not now with Thea exposed and vulnerable just beyond them. But the little daredevil inside her wanted nothing more then see what he was made of.

She'd wanted to get a read of him, and it seemed like he was more then willing to oblige.

She lunged to the side, listening as the arrow whistled over her head. Her retaliation was to throw a punch at him, it lacked her usually power. But it was more then enough to take on the average person one the street. Thing was she was anything but average, and it seemed so was the Hood. He blocked her move with his bow, using it like a close quarters weapon. She ducked and weaved pasted his swings, deflecting what she couldn't. Dancing around him. What she couldn't dodge, she blocked with the guards on the back of her hands. The sound of metal striking metal ringing loudly.

So far he was keeping up with her. So she increased her speed, more of her moves made it through his defences. But she made no move to press him. She wanted her read of him, and she was getting it. He kept coming at her, shaking off the impacts off more quickly than any she'd seen save a few.

He's form wasn't that specialised she noticed, it seemed to be a mishmash of styles that he picked up but by no means mastered. But had mixed into a highly personal style, that seemed to work for him. But she'd trained with better, she was better.

Then why wasn't he going down? She wondered, What makes him get back up? He had a ruthless effectiveness that more than made up for his mishmash training. She held her stance and watched, never pressing forward or going at him. But he pushed back with a resilience that impressed her.

As she threw a kick combo at him, watching as he blocked the first two. But the third sailed threw his defences and landed solidly in his chest. It wasn't full strength but it was more then enough to knock him back. He turned its backward push into a roll, coming up with his bow re-aimed at her.

The archer had apparently realised that hand to hand might not be the best way to take her down.

She flicked her attention to Thea, who lay wide eyed looking between them. "Go. The police should be here soon."

Black Canary pointed to the doorway, The Hood echoed the move with a nod to the door.

"Go." Was the order. He said and Thea scrambled to the door, running for it as she got through.

"Who are you?" He demanded. A masked woman probably stumped him, she could have been anything from a groupie to a copycat. But a masked woman that could fight? That would have concerned him.

"What does a murderer like you care?" She asked, her voice flat. But she actually wanted to know. Ted had warned her to stay away from this man. Oracle as well. Vigilantes that crossed the line, could be more dangerous than the people they put away. "I thought you were the judge, jury and executioner all in one. What need do you have for names."

"I'm not a murderer," Was the simple deep voiced reply.

"I'm sure the city morgues would disagree." She replied tilting her head at him, her stance loose and ready. "But you haven't fired on me…. well again…" She glanced at the arrow lodge in the banister.

"I was aiming for you shoulder," Was the deadpan reply.

"Still not very nice," She countered unable to stop herself.

"I'm not a murderer," He repeated, glancing to the lower level of the Church. Black Canary followed his gaze, to take him to sprawled unconcious gunmen below. Not a single arrow in any of them.

She frowned looking back at him, had something happened to change him? What had the Earthquake done to him? Could he truly have changed the way he worked?

"Neither am I," Black Canary replied gesturing to the slumped body of the man that had held Thea. Before adding "And I'm not one of them."

"Why then?"

"I wanted to help." Black Canary said simple, "This city needs it."

"You should quit," The Hood stated, tone heavy with something Black Canary couldn't identify.

"My choice," She answered, "My skills, my city."

"I should stop you." The Hood informed his stumbled jaw working.

She couldn't stop the cocky smirk as she leant forward to whisper. "I'd like to see you try."

Smirk growing into a full smile she turned and leapt twisting off the banister to the lower level. Disappearing into the shadows below.

"Well… That was interesting." She heard him mutter in a softer tone.

###

She flopped back on her drop mat. She grimaced at the feeling of the blue plastic slick against her sweaty skin. A huffed breath escaped her, as she pushed back blonde hair from her face. Her morning exercise had consisted of its usual weights, Kata's, gymnastics and flexibility training. And as usual it had left her, breathless and exhilarated. Not to mention thirsty. A faint groaning sound escaped her as she turned her gaze in the direction of her kitchen.

To far away, she thought sighing. Plus given how hot she felt, maybe simply taking ice bath would be easier. She gave a slight laugh at the thought.

Movement caught the corner of her eye, and she rolled her head to see.

"Hey Sin," She called smiling happy to see her young friend.

"Hey Dinah," The spikey hair girl greeted, hands in her pockets as she shuffled into Laurel's gym.

"I haven't see you in a while," Laurel rolling to her to her feet. She brushed over toned muscles of her arm, freeing her sweat slicked hair. Ice bath or not, she needed to clean herself up.

"Yeah…" Sin said shifting, her head down, "I've been busy…."

"You okay?" Laurel said frowning, concerned by her friend behaviour.

"Yeah…. I…" She paused and took a deep breath. "You know you're like my hero right. And I'd never lie to you. It's just…. I got in trouble of few days ago, and this woman showed up and saved me. I didn't want to keep anything from you, but she'd my friend…."

"Sin?" Laurel said stepping forward.

"I can't tell you everything," Sin declared looking Laurel directly in the eye, before dropping her gaze. "Please don't ask me too."

"Okay," Laurel said softly, "What is it, that you can tell me?"

"Dinah," Sin began softly, "There's another _you_ in the Glades."

#########

A/N: Like I said. This story isn't a main focus. But I will keep updating it, as long as people are wanting it to be.

Katie Cassidy blonde: Think Ruby from Supernatural. Not Laurel season 4 Arrow.


	3. Chapter 3

**Canary Cry. Canary Fly**

Chapter Three

John Diggle stood as a silent sentinel in the base. He knew Felicity had dubbed it the cave, but he preferred the simple classic. Movement came from the corner of his eye, and he turned to watch Oliver in his hooded green gear step out of shadows. He moved to click his bow back in its holder, and turned to his friends.

"Thea's back home with her boyfriend," Dig informed him, knowing the first question Oliver would have asked, would have been about his sister.

"And Starling City is back down to one man in a hood," Felicity called from her computer chair, a fist raised in cheer.

Oliver didn't reply, but Dig could see the faint tightening off his jaw as he flicked back his hood. "You alright?" John asked uncrossing his arms, and moving over to his friend's side. It was then he noticed to bruising running the side of his face.

"That's a hell of a bruise," Dig remarked, before scanning his friend. Noticing the way, he held himself. That he was favouring one side, wincing as he moved.

"It's from a hell of a punch," Oliver replied in deadpan, before beginning to remove his gear. "I think I have a matching one of my side, and well…everywhere else."

"I didn't think these copycats would give you that much trouble," Dig said frowning, thinking back over everything he'd heard about the gunman. Wondering how they could have fared against his highly skilled friend.

"It wasn't them," Oliver said, cutting off Dig's train of thought, "It was a…. woman."

"A woman?" Dig echoed, thinking about how a random woman could fit into all of this.

"Blonde, trained, wearing a mask," Oliver listed, before wincing again and adding. "Very trained."

"Masked, trained blonde woman?" Felicity echoed as she moved over to hear the two of them talking, her concerned gaze flicking over each of newly revealed bruise. "And she took you on, and she did that? A part of me is going yay girl power, but this could be trouble."

"Search police and news articles. Or random posts about a masked blonde woman," Oliver ordered as he followed Felicity back to the computers.

"Can you describe her?" Felicity asked, fingers ready to start typing.

"Tall, like I said blonde." Oliver listed again, before adding. "Wearing a mask, leather jacket and … fishnets."

Felicity stopped and turned to blink up at him, "Fishnets?"

"Ye…I…." His jaw worked for a moment, before he nodded. "Yes Fishnets."

"Seriously?" Dig asked from behind him. Oliver shot him a look over his shoulder. Before looking down at his fist, remembering the feel of his bows connection the woman's legs. The metallic unyielding feeling.

"Or something designed to look like fishnets," He added. Watching as Felicity looked from him to the computer and back.

"I'm going to need to narrow the search a bit," Felicity remarked wiry, "I hate to see what comes up for 'blonde's in fishnets."

"Felicity, police reports." Oliver reminded.

"Right," She replied turning her attention to her computers. After a few moments of typing she turned back to the other two. "Nothing much in Starling City only. But I did find a few reports of sightings for a blonde leather clad woman. There was an arrest made the other day. One Xavier Reed, gun thief and gang leader. He said he and his group were taken down by a woman calling herself Black Canary."

"Black Canary," Oliver repeated softly. "What do you mean in Starling City only?"

"A couple of other cities have reported sightings of her," Felicity explained, "Gotham, Metropolis...A few other places."

"Think that's her?" Dig asked.

"How many blondes in masks are running around beating up bad guys?" Felicity asked typing some more on her computer.

"Well it looks like Starling has another vigilante running around," Dig remarked. Only for Oliver to start shaking his head.

"This isn't a game," Oliver said frowning, "I hope she realises that."

"You're not concern about what she could do?" Felicity asked, spinning her chair to look at the two men.

"When I was facing this woman she called me a murderer." Oliver admitted. He waved off Felicity as she stood saying his name. "It's fine. But I've seen darkness and I don't think she will follow that path. She seemed concerned about Thea."

"Then what is it Oliver?" Dig asked softly

"The last time I saw Tommy he said the same thing to me." Oliver explained his head bowed. "The last time I saw my best friend, he pointed a gun at me and told me I was a murderer."

"I spent the last year trying an avenge my father," He continued, "Thinking I could save the city, by crossing names off a list. Maybe there's another way of doing that."

"You're not talking about quitting?" Felicity asked frowning.

"No," Oliver shook his head. "This city still needs help. I just need a new way to do that. Something that proves to my best friend and to the city, I'm not the enemy. I'm not a murderer. I need find a way to prove that to people."

###

Sin had been reluctant to tell her any more. Beyond the fact that another 'her' was in the Glades taking out thugs and would be rapists. The young girl had from the sounds of it, stuck up a friendship with this other woman. Promising that she wouldn't mention her presence to anyone, but had been unable to keep anything from Laurel herself.

"Dinah please," Sin had all but begged, "She's not a bad person, she's just hiding out from something."

So Laurel had promised not to take any aggressive action to this other masked female. That was of course the other woman, didn't attack her first.

At Sin's flat look in reply she had re-issued, that she would defend herself only.

But still the idea that another vigilante running around the city did give her a bit of pause. She had Oracle checking records for anything about a female vigilante in Starling, but so far the only slighting's had been her own. A few others could have been counted, unknown woman protecting women in the Glades. But other than that she seemed to be good at staying invisible.

Still people talk, and sometimes word of mouth travelled faster than police reports. Plus, she had a friend on the anti-vigilante task force.

###

Assistant District Attorney Joanna de la Vega was rushed off her feet when Laurel visited her at the DA's office. But still she was happy to see her friend.

"Laurel!" She exclaimed with a smile, at her friend's approach. Laurel was busy scanning her surrounds. When she'd left Starling City behind over six years ago, she'd left her future as a Lawyer behind as well. She didn't regret her decision; it had put her on a path that she was sure she was meant to be on. But still standing in this offices, she felt as if she was surround by what ifs and could have been's.

Assistant District Attorney Dinah Laurel Lance? She snorted to herself, in another life maybe.

As she was right now, currently unemployed, night time vigilante Dinah Laurel Lance. But there was nothing she would change, she was how she was meant to be. She wouldn't change a thing.

Well maybe the unemployed part, she thought to herself.

It was relatively easy to get information off Jo about the vigilante to had appeared in Starling. Beyond to simple matter that she trusted Laurel as her friend, it came down to most of the city already knew about the vigilantes.

"I keep forgetting you were gone for so long," Jo remarked, giving her friend a sad smile. "And that people outside of Starling haven't really heard about this."

This being the pile of files she handed Laurel.

"It's not privileged information or anything," Jo continued, "Most of Starling already knows about these people."

The top file wasn't about a masked blonde woman or a man in a hood like she had been expecting. It was a young woman with long brown hair and trench coat.

"Huntress." Laurel read aloud making Jo look up from her work.

"That what the police dubbed her," Jo explained, "Her real name is Helena Bertinelli. She and the Hood teamed up last year on took on a mob boss. They had a fallen out some later we think, she disappeared. But don't worry about that one, we have a plan in the works for her."

Laurel frowned flicking through Helena file, there wasn't much in there. Only brief mentions of her Father, and that she had teamed up with the Hood.

The next file was her own. She had to bury a smile, that came at the faint bubble of amusement. The sketched figure on the top corner, was surprising accurate. The name Black Canary was written across it. There was a listing of known appearance, even the smallest ones she could remember.

She hadn't realised she made that much of an impression.

Jo's phone rang and as she spoke, Laurel flicked through the last of the files. The last one was on the hooded archer. She read though some of the information there. About his reported exploits since his appearance last year.

She could help but feel, he had helped the city. Even if you didn't agree with his methods.

He had tried to save the city.

"Dammit!" Jo curse called Laurels attention, as she watched her usually calm friend hung up her phone with more force then necessary.

"What?" Laurel asked concerned.

"You know the Queens right?" Jo said as she stood gathering her things, "The youngest one Thea, her boyfriend was just arrested."

"What?" Laurel asked frowning, as she remembered the rather intense young man. "Roy?"

"He crashed his car chasing after the motorcycle gang, that have been robbing the FEMA deliveries to the Glades." Jo explained.

"Is he alright?" Laurel asked concerned.

"Not if he doesn't stop copying the Vigilante!" Jo snapped before sighing. "Sorry. It's just I know how easy it is to get sucked in by that guy."

"He's just a kid," Laurel commented, trying to talk her friend down from whatever example she might plan on making Roy.

Jo's jaw worked for a moment before she sighed and softly said. "I know."

###

She'd managed to talk her friend down from bringing down whatever the law would let her on Roy. Before heading on her way.

There had been no sign of the other blonde masked woman in the Glades. As far as the police knew, she didn't exist. So Laurel herself, would have to go looking for her.

But right now any plans of searching were put on the backburner. Oracle had contacted her to say that FEMA had moved ahead another delivery for the hospital. They had planned on sending out multiple identical trucks to act as decoys to the real delivery truck.

So it was the plan that Black Canary was going to shadow them from the deport.

###

The FEMA depo was mostly empty. Well-lit from overhead floodlights, that made the white trucks and wet concrete gleam.

Black Canary stood in the shadows watching. She watched as the workers moved to load one of the trucks. She noted it as the one to follow.

The one to mark with a tracker.

The motorcycle gang had been attacking the deliveries mid transport. There had been no reason to expect any difference with tonight.

But something was different.

Just as the drivers were about to get into the truck. Two men on motorcycles rode into the depo, pulling up in the front the parked trucks, both of them aiming their weapons at the workers. It all happened so quickly that someone only had a moment to scream.

Thankfully that person was Black Canary.

The floodlights shattered with an explosion of glass and sparks. The three workers dropped to the ground covering the ears. The two gunmen were physically knocked back as the wave of sound hit them. She registered someone behind them falling to the wet ground, curling around their arms protectively around their head.

Black Canary stepped out of the shadows. The two motorcycle gunmen were unconscious; the third figure was very slowly unfurling herself.

It was a Chinese woman. Long white hair fell around her face into a tangled disarray. The glare she fired at Black Canary was full of venom, it would have stop a lesser person in the tracks.

But Black Canary met her stare head on.

"Who are you?" The white haired woman demanded even as she staggered unsteady to her feet. "We were expecting the Hood. Not someone else."

"Doesn't matter," Black Canary informed her smiling, "I'm what you got."

"Fine by me," The other woman snarled. Lunging forward with a pair suddenly appearing daggers.

Black Canary blocked her swing, slapping her hands away before punching the other woman twice in the body, and spinning around to roundhouse kick her in the head. The woman was knocked spinning to the ground.

There was a high whistling sound, and the sound of movement. Black Canary whirled around just in time to see a large African American man in a brown leather jacket, slice an arrow out of the air with fist clawed fist.

She ran at him using his distraction, as she kicked him in the back of the leg. Using the momentum to lunch herself into twirling kick. There was another whistling sound and a grunt of pain as an arrow imbedded itself into the man shoulder. Staggering backward from the combined attack from Black Canary and the archer, he was unprepared for Black Canary follow up combo kicks that left him laid out of the concrete.

It was just as Black Canary and The Hood turned towards each other, the sound of police sirens split the air. The turned in union and ran their own way into the shadows. The police officers flooded the area in surprising numbers.

Black Canary paused in the shadows, to look back. Watching as Jo climbed out of a police car to oversee some of the officers follow after the archer in to the night, and others over in on the unconscious robbers.

She turned and ran into the night.

###

"Are we calling this a win or not?" Felicity asked biting her nail, "China White and her motorbike gunmen are behind bars. But the police were shooting at you!"

"The police have always gone after the vigilante," Diggle remarked from his position leaning against the table.

"This time they had two to choose from," Oliver informed spinning his chair to look at his friends, "The Black Canary was there."

"Again?" Dig asked straightening from his slouch to walk over.

"She took out the gunmen and China White before I got there," He admitted, "We took down Bronze Tiger together."

"She must be good," Dig was unable to resist smirking.

Oliver huffed and lent back in his chair.

"So does this mean the Glades hospital are getting their deliveries now?" Felicity asked.

"They already received their delivery from last night," Oliver informed.

"That's good news," Diggle said crossing his arms over his chest. "What's the problem then?"

"I can't help this city as Oliver Queen," Oliver admitted said standing from he's chair, "And now as the vigilante…"

"It's not a competition man," Diggle told him with a shake of his head.

"I know," Oliver said, waving a hand, "It's not that. It's just…. I need to find a new way of doing things. As both Oliver Queen and the vigilante."

###

"Thank you for inviting me," Laurel said to her friend Jo, as she took the offered glass of champagne of her. She turned to look around the party around her. "It's been a while since I've been to a party."

Queen tower's CEO office had been turned into a function room, for the rather large gathering. The dim lighting and music playing was a far cry from the last time she'd stood in this building.

"My pleasure," Jo said with a smile, before rolling her eyes with a playful huff. "I have to go talk to a few people. You go mingle met someone or something."

"Wait…." Laurel's call was lost in the music and her friend turned and disappeared into crowd.

She froze for a split second, before taking a deep breath to set her suddenly jumping nerves. There was no more running no more over thinking it. She was going to talk to Oliver Queen.

She turned and looked around scanning to faces for a familiar one.

"You look like a woman that's looking for someone," The smile man that came up to her was not the face she wanted, but one she recognised from the television.

"An old friend of mine," She said idly still searching for Oliver's face. "He's throwing this benefit."

"Ah Oliver Queen," Sebastian Blood smirked, not at all being subtle with his interest in her.

She shot him a look at the corner of her eye, but in the end choose to ignore the pick-up attempt.

"It was very nice of Oliver to host this event," Blood continued as if not put off by her ignoring him, "I might have been to haste to attack him in front of the people of Starling."

Laurel clenched her teeth.

"So you friend's with Assistant DA Joana de la Vega?" Blood asked stepping in front of her.

"Excuse me for a moment," Laurel said a pleasantly as she could, "I need to step out for a moment."

Before I get thrown out, she thought to herself as she turned walked from the offices.

The bathroom was where she remembered it, she paused to use to room as her personal space for a moment.

It would have been easier just to come by the office during the day to see Oliver, she decided. They could talk better, and have more privacy.

Plus, not have creepy Glades Aldermen trying pick-up lines on her.

It was with the plan to call it a night, and try to find Oliver tomorrow in a better situation that Laurel left the lady's room and headed for the elevator.

The hallway was mostly empty as she pressed the down bottom, waiting for the glowing amber doors to slide open. She sent of a quick text to Jo, saying she was leaving when the soft ding sounded at the elevators arrival. She stepped forward as the doors opened, looking up from her phone just in time to stop herself from slamming into a man in a suit.

"Sorry," She said instinctively at the near missed.

"Laurel?" The soft word was almost breathed in shock, and Laurel looked properly at the man.

Her world twisted with the sudden rush of adrenaline.

Her heart clenched in her chest, as she froze. All thoughts fleeing her mind for a moment as she just stood there looking at him.

He stood there before her, he's handsome face shocked and his blue eyes wide.

All the time spent working up the nerve to see him, only to find him gone. Wondering what she would say and do if she saw him.

Only for suddenly when she least expected it, to have to suddenly in front of her.

"Oliver," She replied, wondering if the single emotion filled word had conveyed any of that emotion at all. The shock of seeing him, the old anger and hurt, the relief that he really way alive and the pain that Sara wasn't there with them.

For a moment neither of them spoke. They just stood there looking at each other, examining the difference six years could bring. Not just in an appearance, that was easy to spot. His shorter hair and stubble did suit him better than the longer hair of his youth. He stood differently too, a difference to the way he held himself.

What struck her most was the shadow behind his eyes. It spoke of pain and dark things, but there was a strength behind them.

In the end it was her that stepped forward to hug him. The solid weight of his body fitting into her embrace was more real than anything she'd felt. She could feel the relief all the way to her core, the warmth she felt Oliver's hand's come to a rest on her back.

The last six years her own pain had been carried with her. But she'd never thought about Oliver's own pain, after all the dead didn't feel pain.

But the man before her, hadn't died. Had instead endured his own pain, a pain that might match her own.

Or maybe exceed it greatly.

What had happened to him on that island?

###

Laurel's body as a real warm physical presence in his arms. But for a moment Oliver had trouble believing it was real. To get off the elevator and to see her standing there, had truly been the last thing he had been expecting. The sight of her had stunned him for a moment, but still he took it in with the hunger of a staving man.

The first thing he'd done when he'd gotten back to Starling, for real that time. After seeing he's family, had been to try and find Laurel. He still remembered Tommy's uncomfortable face as he admitted Laurel had left Starling, and no one really knew where she was.

He'd focused on his mission after that. But still he always wondered what had happened to her, had missed her and wanted to talk to her. Wanted just to see her. More than once he had been tempted to ask Felicity to see if she could find her. But had always stopped himself, if she wanted to see him she would come find him.

But still he wanted her there

The first year on the island he had focused on the thought of getting back to her, before the reality of the situation had gotten to him. After that he'd focused on his survival. But the worn photo of her face had always been carried close to him.

To come back to Starling and find her gone, to think he'd never get to chance to talk to her. To say he was sorry for Sara.

Maybe that was what he had deserved.

But now she was in front of him, and she looked the same and yet so different.

Her hair was long and blonde falling in soft waves down her back. There was a healthy glow to her, and a new muscle definition on her. Plus, the way she stood. Laurel Lance had always had confidence, but now it looked as if she could back it up.

"Laurel," He said again forcing himself to release to and step back. "You're here."

"Yeah," Laurel replied, before giving a small breathy laugh. "So are you."

Oliver smiled back at her. "Yeah, I am."

"I've been back for a little while," Laurel admitted, glancing away in an effect to keep control of her emotions. But her eyes kept coming back to him. "I've been trying to see you, but I keep missing you."

I missed you to, Oliver thought. Knowing that not what she meant but unable to help himself. "Yeah...I've... I've been really busy."

"Yeah C.E.O Oliver Queen." Laurel said with a smile, "Who would have thought?"

"Who indeed?" Oliver replied with an answering smile.

"Sorry to interrupt," A new voice remarked, from over Oliver shoulder. "Mr. Queen I believe they're waiting for you."

Both Oliver and Laurel turned to look at Diggle.

"Laurel this is John Diggle," Oliver said introducing his friend to Laurel. "He's my …driver. Diggle this is Laurel Lance."

"Nice to meet you Mr. Diggle." Laurel said politely.

"You too Miss. Lance."

Together Oliver and Dig turned to walk into the party. Oliver paused after a few steps and turned back to Laurel, suddenly afraid that if he left her now he wouldn't see her again.

"I'll wait for you," Laurel informed, glancing back at the party.

Oliver gave her a soft smile and turned into walk to the crowd, to the sound of applause.

###

Oliver night turned out to be a success. Oliver, who had spent most of his youth in to public eye for on offense of another, had charmed the crowd with his words of hope for a better tomorrow for the people of the Glades.

Laurel had stood up the back of the room and watched him with a smile. Seeing him embody the man she always knew him to be.

At the end Alderman Blood and Oliver Queen had shaken hands in front of the camera.

And the night had wound down from after that.

Finally, Oliver was standing in front of her again, and she smile up at him.

"Nice party," She remarked smile spreading. Taking in the sight of him standing there, once again in her life.

"Yeah it was." Oliver nodded, smiling back at her. "Look I know…."

"Want to go for a walk?" Laurel asked gesturing back towards the elevators, "I could use some fresh air."

"Sure." Oliver replied easily and together the two of them made their way out of building and onto the street.

It was pretty late, and any other person then Oliver would have been concerned about being out and about at that time. But if Laurel wanted to go for walk so they could talk.

A walk it would be then.

"Did you go anywhere interesting while you were away?" Oliver asked after a few moment of silence.

"I was in New York mostly," Laurel replied somewhat honestly. "A few other cities after that, I ehh...travelled a bit. I wanted to ask how it was for you….but, I don't want to put you through that again…"

She looked away.

"It's alright," Oliver said softly taking a deep breath, "Thanks anyway."

"It's just Sara…." She looked down as her eyes suddenly flooded with tears. Over the years talking about Sara had become less unbearable. It still hurt, but the pain no longer tore at her. But standing there talking to man that had been with her when she died, brought some of that pain back.

"She was your sister," Oliver nodded understanding that beyond anything else, Laurel would want to know about Sara. "I'm sorry Laurel. I'm so sorry. I looked for her, called for her."

"I know you did," Laurel agreed in a soft whisper. Because who would have done less.

"It was my fault she was there," Oliver said softly.

"No," Laurel disagreed, taking a deep shuddering breath. Flooding herself with calm and understanding, even though it still hurt. "Sara made her own choices. Followed her own path. I just miss her so much."

"Me too." Oliver replied bring them to a stop, so they could look at each other.

"I'm so sorry Laurel," Oliver said, "For what happened to Sara. That I messed up your life so badly."

"You didn't mess it up," Laurel said shaking her head, "I might have left Starling because of everything. But I found myself again, and I really like who I am now."

Oliver met her gaze, with an understanding look.

"Can I get to know this new you?" Oliver asked finally.

"Only if I can get to know the new you too." Laurel replied giving a watery smile.

###

It only felt like a couple of minutes later when they stopped again. But in truth they had walked much further than they thought.

"We shouldn't hang around here. Especially this late at night," Oliver said pulling out his phone. "Let me call Diggle to come pick us up."

"Okay," Laurel agreed.

They stood and waited for few moments when a voice called out to them.

"Hey there pretty, pretty, pretty." A male voice called, and Laurel and Oliver whirled around to look.

Down the darkened street a group of men appeared. Some of them staggering drunk.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me," Laurel breathed, as she internally cursed. Before starting in surprise as Oliver grabbed her arm to pull her behind him.

There was the clicking sound of more than one switch blade. Around them the group of men leered.

Something hit the ground with a faint thudding sound, as a small egg shaped device landed nearby. Before sound exploded out of it. Loud and ringing, the windows around them shattered. Oliver curled himself around Laurel, but she could make out a figure dropping from the building.

Dressed head to toe in black, with a blond wig, the masked woman, clicked out a long staff and went at the men. It didn't take long before all the men were on the ground. And the masked woman turned to look at them, blonde wig hair flying.

Then she turned and ran into the night.

"You're got to be kidding me," Laurel breathed again.

###

Another her indeed, Laurel as she worked her jaw to make her ears pop.

"Another you... or maybe a you light," Oracle joked, as if comparing the two of them to Original and light versions of something.

"Please focus," Laurel chided, even as an amused smile tugged at her lips.

"I'm sorry," The woman's voice sounded anything but. "So you get saved by a woman with a mask. Take away the sonic device, which by the way isn't that unique. She isn't that much like you. From the sounds of things. Different fighting still, different weapon choice. Plus, you know she doesn't wear fishnets."

"Kevlar carbon fibre polymer mesh," Laurel corrected in deadpan.

"Riggghhhtttt." Oracle intoned. "So we need to work out if she following you, for you, or you for Black Canary you. But in the end she's still following you."

"Please stop saying 'you'."

"Either way, I don't need to warn you to be on the lookout," Oracle continued. "If she is following you as Dinah, then she might not know about you other identity."

"Remind me to hit Ted," Laurel muttered. Her former trainer had taken it upon himself to get every person they knew in the vigilante community to call her Dinah.

"But if she's following you because of Black Canary then she already knew you're Dinah."

"Because she followed me out of the suit."

"Yeah." Oracle said. "Look Dinah, be careful okay. Try to stay out of too much trouble."

"Hey! It's me!" Laurel exclaimed in mock hurt.

Oracle didn't dignify that with a response.

###

"Laurel and I were just attack by a random group of street thugs," Oliver announced as he walked down the stairs into his lair.

"Is Laurel alright?" Dig questioned in concern.

"She's fine," Oliver said with nod, before adding "We were save by a blonde masked woman in black,"

"Same one as the other night?" Dig asked from he's place at Felicity's side. "Black Canary?"

"No another one," Oliver replied, giving Dig a 'yeah I'm stunned too' look.

"Another blonde masked woman," Felicity looked up at the two from the computer, she blinked a few things before turning back to the computer. "…. I got nothing…"

"Though I am celebrating another win from team blonde. I'm trying to work out the odds of something like this happening." She muttered to herself.

"This one was different," Oliver continued. "She was wearing head to toe black, blonde wig. Metal staff. And this…sonic thing."

"Sonic thing?" Felicity echoed blinking up at him, "Can you be a bit more specific?"

"She turned it on and the windows shattered." Oliver added simply.

"Who was she and why did she help you?" Dig asked frowning at the other two.

"And how did she know to help you?" Felicity added frowning, "Did she help you as Oliver Queen you? Or did she help you as the vigilante you, knowing you were you _you_."

"Please stop saying you," Oliver asked.

"I can't I think I'm stuck," Felicity admitted in dismay, before sighed.

"Those are all really good questions," Oliver said, "This is another new player in town. Black Canary has helped a few times already since she arrived. This one is new; we don't know anything about her."

"I'll see what I can find," Felicity said turning back to her computers.

"I'm not letting this city at overrun with vigilantes," Oliver informed the two of them, his command tone in full force. "We catch her, we stop her."

"Why not do the same with Black Canary?" Dig asked.

"That's different," Oliver admitted.

"Why?" Diggle pressed.

"Because she beat me," Oliver admitted simply, as Felicity and Diggle both turned to look at him in shock.

###

It had been a busy last couple of days. So much happened.

A desperate Officer Lance called Felicity, in hopes of getting the aid of the Hood to catch a killer.

The Doll Maker had escaped prison, and was picking up exactly where he'd left off.

The hooded archer had sent Roy into the Glades with orders to find the new masked blonde.

The young man had accepted the orders from his hero, ready to help in any way he could.

Together Officer Lance and the Hood had searched for clues to find the Doll Maker. Questioned his lawyer for information on him, and found their way to the Doll Makers apartment.

The madman had called them to taunted them, and Quentin had been forced to listen to him kill another woman.

Quentin tagged along as the Hood broke into a Lab, to get the CSI work on the case.

And together they broken the case on find how the Doll Maker choose his victims.

And Quentin Lance had finally begun to see the good, the vigilante could do.

###

Laurel paused on the side walk watching as a homeless man in ratty clothes muttered to himself as he shuffled his way up the dark street.

"Hey are you alright?" She asked in concern, as he came closer.

"You have beautiful skin," the man said throwing off his ratty blanket, and lunging at her with a Taser.

She grabbed hold of the limb as it came close, twisting it hard and away from her. Dropping his broken wrist before reaching up to knock him out with an elbow to the jaw.

"Creep," She muttered, before looking down at his face to recognise Barton Mathis, the Doll Maker. She blinked in surprise. "Oh! What do you know."

She reaching into her bag to pulled out her phone.

Hopefully her Dad would be happy that the guy was caught again.

###

Quentin stood on the corner and watched as Felicity acted as bait.

The Hood's companion had volunteered, to try and draw the Doll Maker out.

The whole thing didn't sit right with him, but he was willing to do anything to see this monster back in prison.

"That's the last store," Felicity said into her comm, as she made her way down the street. "You're going to reimburse me for these right? I saved my receipts."

"Go to the rendezvous point," The Hood's voice ordered. "Stay in public."

"Just for the record, I'm not a huge fan of dangling helpless girls in front of psychopaths like meat." Quentin informed them. Just as his phone buzzed.

"She volunteered." The Hood's voice stated.

"Well she might need to use those receipts." Quentin managed as he stared in shock at the screen of his phone.

"Why?" The Archer questioned.

"Mathis was just caught," Quentin informed his stunned listeners. "He's currently in hospital with a broken wrist and a broken jaw."

###

"Honey!" Quentin exclaimed rushing forward to sweep Laurel from her police station seat and hug her.

"Dad I'm fine." Laurel reassured him, even as she hugged him back.

"What happened?" Quentin asked, stepping back to scan his daughter for injures. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," She repeated, smile at him in the most reassuring way she could.

Quentin opened his mouth and closed it, unable to say anything.

"Laurel," Another familiar voice said, and father and daughter turned to see Oliver standing there in the Precinct a concerned look on his face.

"Ollie," Laurel said, surprised to see him, "What are you doing here?"

"I…." He started before stopping, before he too gave her a concerned once over. "I heard what happened. Are you alright"

"Seriously guys I'm fine. He tried to grab me and I just reacted." She said, shrugging. "I took a few self-defence classes well I was away. Guess they paid off huh?"

 **A/N**

I went back a reworded the fight scene between BC and the Hood/ Soon to be Arrow. It was pointed out to me that the fight came across as a draw. It wasn't meant that way, BC was spending the time trying to get a 'read' on the Hood, and in the end he was the one that backed off.

The fight was meant to be her holding back, but he's resilience and endurance impressing her. Because he was standing up to her probably longer then she was used. (For what good it would have done him)

I may have up his combat capability due to that fact that they had him beat Ra's. But it comes down to the fact, I think the show nerfed the entire League.

Just thought I should let you know. I am not an Olicity fan. In fact, I am very anti-Olicity. I love season 1 and 2 Felicity, 3 and 4 annoyed the hell out of me.

That doesn't however mean I am anti-Felicity. When not reduced to fan bait, she is actually a good character. If a bit mary-sue-ish.

Which is why I actually don't watch the show anymore. Not that I really watched a lot of Arrow this last season, given that I fast-forwarded through all scenes involving Olicity and flashbacks. I was left with like 5 minutes of show…all up.


	4. Chapter 4

**Canary Cry. Canary Fly**

Chapter Four

It had been almost six years since she'd last spoken to her family. Yes, she'd seen then, watched them from a distance. However, it had been years since she'd stood in their presence and to have them know that she was still alive. But she had to keep them safe and the safest they could be, was far away from her.

Although she was alive, she brought death in her wake. She might be alive; it had been so long since she had truly lived. So focused on survival for so long, she'd forgotten what it was like to live. She would have forgotten the cost of that survival, had not the price soak deep within her. All the way to her soul.

Red and sticky, dripping with blood. Blood she'd spilt.

The only piece of her left untouched was her family, and Sara Lance would do anything for her family. When the news of the Starling City earthquake had reached her half a world away, she had dropped everything to come running home. Severed ties that weren't meant to be severed, and ignored all else with the need to see her family.

What she had found was not the family she'd left behind.

Her Mother wasn't there, disappearing somewhere over the years Sara had been away. She wasn't that surprised by it, Dinah Drake had always been a free bird.

Her Father. Her brave, kind, loving Father. Looked as if he had aged twenty years for the six she'd been gone. She'd found him exactly where she had been expecting him. At the SCPD precinct. But she had frozen stunned at the sight of him wearing the patrol officer uniform he hadn't worn in years.

Laurel however had been harder to pin down. Her last known address was full of strangers, and she didn't know where she was working. But one seemly random day, when Sara had gone to see her Father. She saw her.

She didn't recognise her at first, her gaze almost skipping over her. Her long brown hair was now blonde, a lighter shade then Sara's own. Her build was different too. Laurel had always been tall and thin, looking almost willowy. But now there was shape to her body, with an obvious muscle tone.

But it wasn't just her appearance that Sara didn't recognise. She moved differently. Once upon a time, Laurel Lance's walk had been just like anyone else's. But now there was something else to it.

Sara had been trained to read bodies as well as words, and she recognised Laurel movement for what they were.

A predator on the prowl.

And though she was confused and worried about what had happened to change her sister. Had her death affected them both this much? Sara still watched her sister. She still didn't know where she lived, or where she worked. But there were easy ways to find her. With their Father, or with Oliver.

Oliver and Laurel together always.

She'd thought as she watched the two of them walk down the street. Not noticing the bad area they were heading for. When trouble came she had given no thought as she'd dropped off the building to protect her sister from the gang of thugs.

This might not have been the family she had left behind, but it was still her family. And Sara would protect her family.

###

"Laurel?" Oliver voice called after her as she made her way from her father's precinct. Away of interviews and statements, she was finally able to head home.

"Ollie hey," She said as she turned to give him a smile. "Thanks for coming down to check on me. I didn't get to ask; how did you find out what happened?"

"Well I…. Are you alright?" He asked instead, she fought the need frown at his avoidance of her question. But the look of concern on his face seemed genuine enough for him to just want to focus on her.

"Yeah," Was her instant truthful reply, before she thought she should say more. She didn't want him to think she was being blasé with what for a normal person would have been a terrifying event. Plus, she felt his concern was touching, even if there was no need for it. "It's been a hell of a night. I guess I'm just lucky that Mathis wasn't expecting a fight."

"Yeah," Oliver agreed a faint nod, but his concern didn't fade. "But it's wasn't just Mathis. There was the other night when we were almost attacked by that gang."

"Saved by a blonde in a mask," Laurel concluded, not needing the fake the perplexed tone in her voice. The whole thing about the other blonde in a mask was concerning. Good or bad, it hadn't been revealed. Or if she was after Oliver or Laurel herself.

"…Right." Oliver said with a frown. Once Laurel could have said she knew most of Oliver faces, or at least she thought she had. Six years of separation and painful lies had put a damper on that belief, but she knew enough to tell he was annoyed about something.

"Well truthfully I've kind of blocked that encounter from my memory," She said, it was a half-truth. She hadn't blocked it, just hadn't felt the need to dwell on it. In the great scheme of things, and everything she'd experienced. It had hardly seemed worth remembering. Save for one thing. "Except from the blonde in the mask. You don't see that every day."

"No. Of course not," Oliver replied shifting slightly. He looked slightly uncomfortable about something. But still he seemed concerned for her. So she aimed for distraction.

"Oh and the fact they called me pretty," She stated with a grin, unable to fight the amusement. "I don't get called that every day."

"What?" He looked confused for a second before shaking his head with a laugh. "Fair enough Laurel. You can keep that if you want. You are very pretty."

"Thanks," She smiled up at him, watching him echo it with a softer smile. Before finally asking, "You hungry? I could really go something from Big Belly Burger."

###

It had been a while since she had stopped by the fast food place. But her order was still the same, it was after all her favourite. She laughed as Oliver gave her chips and milkshake meal a funny look.

"What?" She laughed, dipping her chip into her shake and popping it in her mouth, "It's good."

"I'll take your word for it," Oliver replied shaking his head, a half smile tugging his lips.

She noticed his attention on the waitress's around them, he seemed to be scanning faces.

"You alright?" Laurel asked, following his gaze.

"Yeah," He replied looking back to her with a soft smile. "A friend of mine's ex-girlfriend works here."

"Oh," Laurel said unsure what to say.

"Well he works for me," Oliver amended, with a half shrug. "And I can't help that feel maybe his … job ended his relationship."

"You think working for you is disrupting his life?" Laurel summed up. She sighed at Oliver's silent nod. When had Oliver become so self-condemning? She wondered, it hurt just to know that he thought like that. "I don't think he would agree. I've heard all about the good you've been doing."

"What?" Oliver jumped looking up at her, he's eyes widening for a second.

"The fund raiser that you had at Queen Consolidated." She explained, her eyebrows arching up at his reaction. "The guns for cash movement you ran in the Glades. You're helping so many people. I'm sure anyone would love to be a part of that. Plus, I heard that you company is actually making money, so you saved heaps of people jobs. Not bad Oliver Queen."

"Thanks Laurel," Oliver with a grateful smile.

"Anytime Ollie," She replied, warmth filling her at the look. "I'm here if you need me."

###

Laurel like the rest of the city wanted to know all about 'State vs Moira Queen' trial. She turned up at the courthouse on the first day of the trail, and found a seat waiting for her besides Oliver, Thea and her boyfriend Roy where there. She gave the young brunette a gentle smile and turned to her brother. Oliver looked up at her on her arrival, giving her a stunned look followed by a thankful smile. Before sliding over and letting her take the seat next to him.

Laurel scanned the courtroom. It was completely full, camera's lined to back wall as press stood crammed together. Everyone wanted to know what happened at this trial.

Laurel continued her scanning for a few moments before landing on the Assistant District Attorney's table. Laurel inhaled in shock at the sight of her old friend Joanna de la Vega sitting second chair to Assistant DA Adam Donner. The other woman met her gaze from a moment before Jo' expression closed off and turned blank, and she looked away her eyes dropping to her notes.

Stunned Laurel let her eyes flick from Jo to the defendants table. Where Moira would be sitting as her future was decided.

Not long after that a blank faced and subdued Moira Queen arrived in the court room giving Oliver and Thea a soft loving smile, before turning to face forward. Laurel reached down to take Oliver's hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.

He squeezed her hand back.

Together they watched the opening statements, that would led to a decision of if Moira Queen would live or die.

It had been revealed, the District Attorney's office was seeking the death penalty for her path in Malcolm Merlyn's Earthquake attack on the city. Payment he claimed for the Five Hundred and Three lives lost.

###

The trial started after that, later in the day. Thea's time on the stand was rough, as the ADA brought up the old feelings of pain and anger over her Mother's role in the attack on the Glades. But all this was side-tracked as the DA swayed and stumbled before falling over onto the ground.

The court house was cleared and the Donner taken away, and Laurel Lance went in search of her old friend. Jo took one look at her, and turned and walked the other way. Down the gleaming white Courthouse halls.

"I can't talk to you," Jo informed over her shoulder.

"Jo wait," Laurel called speeding up, to place a hand on the other woman's shoulder.

"Laurel please," Jo all but begged, "I can't talk to you right now. You're friends of the defendant's family. But I'm sorry…. I'm sorry, I don't get to pick the cases I take. They just gave this to me."

"It's okay," Laurel replied softly, nodding as she gave her best comforting look. "I understand. I was just going to ask if you're okay?"

Jo gave a derisive snort, "I'll let you know at the end of the trial."

###

She went home after that. It was later as she worked out in her gym, the television in the back ground started to flicker from its normal broadcast as it changed to the shaky motion of a hand held camera.

"Hello, Starling City." A man cooed in the camera. "Miss me? Many of you have noticed that you're not feeling quite like yourselves." The camera shock as it was shifted to point at the pained face that Laurel recognised as the Assistant District Attorney Donner.

"Like our good Assistant District Attorney here." The man's voice continued as he hugged in close the obviously ill lawyer. "You might recognize him from his work in the ongoing Moira Queen trial.

"Hi, Adam."

"What do you want?" The ADA, Adam Donner managed to force out from between clenched teeth.

"I want what you want. For you to feel better." The stranger drawled comfortingly into his captive's ear. And Laurel lunged for her phone.

"Hello," A familiar voice greeted her over the phone. "Dinah? You alright? You never call during the day."

"Barbara," Laurel barely stopped herself from yelling. "Starling City television now."

Barbara Gordon, the true name of Black Canary's technical backup Oracle, was quick on the uptake.

"Go to hell!" Adam snarled back at the stranger, shaking from the pain.

"I do think you want the pain to end, and I can do that with Vertigo." The stranger said holding up a large double needled syringe. "It's what all of your bodies crave. Fortunately, the power of relief is right here. And all you have to do is go to your friendly neighbourhood Vertigo dealer and request the cure."

"He's taken over all the local television stations feed in that area," Barbara reported in a rush.

"Simply supply and demand at work." The camera shifted again, a close up on the stranger's face. He's eyes gleaming crazily.

"Can you shut it down?" Laurel asked, shifting in closer to the television as if her closer presence would help Adam. "Find a way to track this? Anything?"

"Now, tell me you want this and it's yours." The man said leaning closer into Adam, "All the pain will just disappear. Say it. Say You want it."

"He's bouncing the signal off a S.T.A.R labs satellite," Oracle informed her, Laurel could her the furious typing in the background. "I can't…."

"I…I…." Adam fought it, the words pressing against his teeth. "Want…. I want it."

"You see a simple solution." He pressed the double edged syringe into Adam neck and sent the drug rush into the man's body. "I'm Count Vertigo, and I approve this high."

The picture disappeared without a trace.

"Dinah?" Barbara's voice sounded in her ear and she force herself to release her grip on her phone. "Now what?"

"Find him." She stated, climbing back to her feet. "I don't care how. Just help me find him."

###

 **1 Year Ago**

 **Gotham**

 _The pool cue broke over a fishnet clad leg with a loud crack, and the two pieces of wood suddenly became an impromptu weapon. Blocking the punches of one man, as she twirled the other piece around to strike him across the head. He went down hard._

 _She ducked the punch from one of his friends, sliding in close to hit him once then twice in the kidneys. As the man curled in on himself to protect his body, she kneed him in the head._

 _A third man came in the bars front door, around raising a rifle to shot at her. But she was fast enough and close enough to get to him before that._

 _She slammed into him hard, sending him flying backward. She rode him through the bar door to the side walk outside, before bouncing away with a handspring and a backflip._

 _They were gang members, probably Italian Mafia. Most likely Falcone's men, which meant ruthless and well-armed. And most importantly not alone._

 _She turned to watch two black sedans pull up in the middle of the street. Men with guns climbing out of each door._

 _The next moment she inhaled. Then she screamed._

 _The windshields shattered like confetti, and the men stumbled back. Some losing their footing, and knocked sliding backward down the road. The hood of one car shuddered before giving out. Crumbling and bending, denting inward. The rest of the car body following. The car beside it, parked sideways across the street. Was hit in the side. It rocked violently before tipping over onto its roof sliding backward._

 _Black Canary inhaled again. The sound vanished into the night. She could hear voices yelling, and all down the block dogs were barking. She walked down the road, checking on the mob members. Battered and bruised, but they were still alive. She thought one or more of them might have some hearing issues._

 _She removed to hand from the pulse of the last man, and turned walked back into the bar. The bartender was standing exactly where she left him. A glass and dishrag still in hand, frozen in motion._

 _Ignoring him she walked over to the table the men had been sitting, finding the bags still there. One duffle was full of blocks of white powder._

" _You there," She said into her comm._

" _Always," Came the instant reply._

" _That's a yes on the drugs," Black Canary said standing to point at the bartender, "Call the police."_

 _He blinked at her._

" _So good news. Bad news," Oracle said as she worked her computers. "They were Falcone's men alright; they just don't work for him anymore. Apparently they went rogue with a bunch of drugs, and cash. Gutsy right?"_

" _So basically we just did the Roman a favour,"_

 _###_

" _Hey one more thing," Oracle said to Black Canary as she rode her motorbike, "I want you to swing by some place."_

" _Okay," Black Canary replied, curious as to what was going on. "Give me the address."_

 _The address lead her to a large clock tower. Like all of Gotham's buildings, it was old and massive. With gothic finishes running along it. Frowning Black Canary gaze up the side of the enormous structure, before moving forward to start the climb up of what was probably going to be a lot of stairs._

 _But to her surprise there was a hidden elevator that Oracle directed her to. Looking very modern against the old world design around it. She frowned at the sight of it, confused as to what was going on. But she trusted Oracle, the hacker could have captured or killed her many times over by now. She went to the top floor like she was told._

 _The floor was another thing all together._

 _She fought to keep her jaw from dropping as her confusion gave way to shock._

 _Massive clock windows showed views of all across Gotham. It looked like it had been renovated fairly recently, given the modern look the place had. Computers and equipment took up most of the centre of the room. The massive computer screens where black, except from a green mask image._

" _Hey you made it," A familiar voice said, but this time not through her com unit. She turned to watch a young redhead woman in a wheelchair glide her way towards her. She was young, about Laurel own age. Maybe a bit younger. Her bright green eye shining from behind a pair of glasses. She looked in quite fit, her arms had clear muscles._

" _Welcome to the ClockTower," Oracle said with a gesturing move, and Laurel followed the motion in awe. "Glad you're here. It was past time we meet face to face. This way I can properly introduce myself."_

 _She reached forward a hand to shake Laurel's._

" _I'm Barbara Gordon."_

 _###_

She tried to remember why she had decided to do this. When Diggle's sweat slick face and Oliver with his family came to mind. It didn't make her feel better though.

The city was under attack, again. This time not with Earthquakes or guns. But with drugs. Count Vertigo had poisoned people with his drug, causing the pain and agony that could only be cured by more of his drug. But it wasn't just random people that were hurt. This time it was closer to home. This time it was Dig.

Oliver was with his mother and his sister, planning with the lawyers over how best to fight for Moira's life in court. Which meant it came down to her to do this, and she was close to freaking out.

Suck it up Felicity, she thought to herself. If you can up undercover in a Russian underground casino. Or play bait for a serial killer. You can search an empty vaccination van for signs of a drug lord.

"Oh my life," She muttered to herself shaking her head. She then mentally added 'Though those times in had Oliver and Diggle as back up. Then promptly told herself to shut up.

Her little flash light was barely enough to light her path, but she dared not turn on the lights.

How does Oliver do this? She asked herself, she could barely make out anything in the dark. She herself was a creature of light. She needed and thrived in a bright environment and with her computers. Yet here she was outside her comfort zone, all because someone needed to. And tonight that someone was her.

She slid open an overhead glass cupboard, almost dropping her torch at the sight of multiple vials of Vertigo sitting there. She turned back to check it vans entrance, only to find herself face to face with a tall blonde woman in a mask.

Felicity's startled gasp broke the silence. Heart frozen in her chest for a split second before she recognised the blonde from Oliver descripting and her own searching.

It was Black Canary

There was something undeniable intimidating about the woman. Especially in this dark van. Her tight outfit boasted a body that many only dreamed of possessing. Her bright eyes stared out from behind her mask with an accessing look.

Felicity shifted slightly and hoped like hell that all the research she'd done on this woman, that had painted her to be a good guy was correct. Then remember she herself might have been breaking and entering right now.

"Ehhh….Hi." She managed, giving her best 'Hey in helpless' look. It didn't take much work to put it on.

The masked woman tilted her head, and seemed to arch an eyebrow at her.

"What are you doing here?" The taller blonde asked, and Felicity barely fought down the shudder. The distorted feminine voice raised the hairs down the back of her neck. Oliver himself used a voice mod when under the hood. But there was something different about this woman's voice, it seemed almost organic somehow.

"Oh… who me?" Felicity stumbled to form a sentence. Only to pause when she spotted the amused smile on the other woman's red lips.

I'm amusing her? That might be good, Felicity thought herself before adding. Or it might be bad. Is that bad?

"Well, I take it you don't work for the Count?" The Black Canary remarked in an amused tone. Relaxing her stance and rest her weight on one fishnet clad leg.

Felicity told herself not to stare.

"No! nonono," The young blond computer tech stammered out shaking her head, "I followed the work addresses of the people affected by Vertigo, and worked out what they all had in common…"

"Hold that thought," Black Canary interrupted holding up a hand, before she turned on her heel and exited the van. Felicity barely registered the movement before she was scrambling after the woman. She was just in time to watch the woman rush two black clad henchmen. She knocked away their machine guns, even as they brought them up to fire on her. They continued to attack however and although they worked in tandem to bring down the masked woman, it was clear they were out classed.

"Another mask in the city," A familiar voice drawled as the Count appeared besides Felicity, moving to swing an arm over her shoulders. "Oh isn't this exciting."

He seemed unconcerned as his henchmen hit the ground out cold at the masked women's feet. A Vertigo syringe up a waving unnervingly close to Felicity's neck.

"I don't suppose I could tempt you with some Vertigo My Dear?" Count Vertigo asked Black Canary, as the woman raised hands to show she was unarmed and walked slowly towards them. As if she wasn't a threat anymore. Felicity however knew better. She'd seen Oliver fight bad guys, watched him spar against Diggle. She'd know their little group was skilled, had taken pride in that fact. But there was something about the ease she's taken out the henchmen, plus earlier Oliver had said this woman had beat him in a fight.

There was no way she was not a threat.

"Who are you then hmmmm?" The Count asked as he leant forward over Felicity's shoulder.

"You wanna know?" Black Canary replied with a smirk, "I'll have to whisper it. It's a secret."

It happened so fast Felicity could barely follow it. One of Black Canary's hands grabbed hold of the Count's hand that was holding the Vertigo. Wrenching it out and away from Felicity. Felicity herself, she grabbed hold of the front of her jacket pulling her towards the ground.

She landed with a thump, and was just about to push herself up when suddenly the air was filled the high sound like a resounding cry. She wrapped her arms over her head, pressing down on her ears as the ground beneath her tremored slightly.

Something was rushing over her, like wave after wave of condensed sound. And then the next moment there was silence. Felicity uncurled on the ground, and pushed herself to look around. Count Vertigo lay a good few yards away unconscious, his shirt shredded to thin strips.

Two more of his henchmen lay on the ground slightly behind him. In similar conditions as their boss. Felicity hadn't even known they were there.

"What was that?" Felicity breathed, only then realising one of her glasses were cracked. "Was that some kind of sonic device?"

Black Canary short her a quick wink.

"So to continue our earlier conversation. I get how you came to be here. The question now is, why are you here?" Black Canary asked, reaching down to pull Felicity to her feet.

"Why?" Felicity managed, as she swayed slightly.

"You're not law enforcement. Or a city official." Black Canary listed, looking her up and down. "You don't look like the archer vigilante. Which means you're working for someone. You're not with him," She pointed to the Counts unconscious body.

"Is it the Hood?" She continued narrowing her eyes at Felicity as the tech girl shifted. "Which would then create the question. Why did you come and not him?"

Felicity blinked up at the taller blonde before replying in the upmost sincerity.

"Can I go home?"

###

It was later that Laurel heard that the jury had reached a verdict on the Queen Trial. Her stomach twisted violently at the thought that maybe this was a sign that the jury had already made up their minds about Moira.

She took her place beside Oliver, and this time it was him that took her hand. They watched both holding their breath as the Judge turned to the jury.

"I have received a note that the jury has arrived at a verdict." The Judge said nodding to the jury representative. "Please present the verdict."

"In the case of state versus Moira Queen Verdict of one count of conspiracy in the first degree, the defendant is found not guilty." The representative read out, and Laurel felt Oliver whole body jerk. "On the 503 counts of murder in the first degree, the defendant is found... Not guilty."

Oliver gave a shudder of what had to have been nothing but the sudden intense release of relief that ran through his body. He squeezed her hand as he climbed to his feet pulling Laurel up also.

"Mom," He breathed as Moira turned to her children.

"I love you both so much," Moira declared, pulling both Oliver and Thea into a hug. Laurel's gaze drifted across the courtroom to meet Jo's in the primary DA's chair. her friend gave her a blank look before packing up her things, and disappearing into the crowd.

###

"A stunning result, as Moira Queen is acquitted of all charges." The news reporter said from the television of back bench in the Lair. "In a day that's provided a week's worth of shocks and legal twists, many had pronounced this case a done deal."

"Congratulations Oliver," Diggle called as Oliver made his ways down the stairs. He shook his head, and threw his suit jacket across the table.

"She should have lost," Oliver informed them bluntly, he couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong. That something was happening.

"You're not happy about the Verdict?" Diggle asked with a frown.

"Of course I am. I just wasn't expecting it," Oliver looked at his friend, regret filling him at his words but it was the truth. "Diggle she should have lost."

"You're looking better," He remarked, both to check on his friend and also to change the subject.

"Feeling heaps better." Diggle replied with a nod. "Feel like a need a shower though."

"Did you find out how the Count was distributing the Vertigo," Oliver asked, walking toward Felicity. "Did you find out where he is?"

He was close enough to watch Felicity freeze for a moment at his questions.

"Oliver," Diggle said, "Count Vertigo was arrested earlier."

"Oh and we're dealing with the Vertigo tainted vaccine," Felicity chirped with a quick glance at Oliver. "Queen Consolidated's Applied Sciences Division was able to formulate a non-addictive treatment"

"Felicity?"

"…Yes?" Was the delayed reply.

"What happened?" Was the flat toned question.

Felicity's finger's froze on the keyboard, before she shot Diggle a quick look. Oliver's frown grew.

"I managed to track the Vertigo exposed victims via their work places." Felicity replied, her shoulders slumping. "It lead like a trail through the city. There was a vaccination van that followed the same path. Diggle said he visited one. We figured that was how the Count was dosing people. Which is actually kind of clever in an evil kind of way…."

"Felicity…" Oliver stated to bring her back down before she truly started.

"Oh right," She blinked up at him for a second. "Diggle was sick, and you were with you family. So I went and checked out the van."

"You what?!" He managed the ask as shock filled him at her statement.

"It was fine! Except until it wasn't," She admitted with a wince, "I found the vertigo there, and also Black Canary."

"What?" He wasn't sure what to make so all this, what had happened while he had been busy with his family.

"Count Vertigo showed up," Felicity continued, and Oliver had to pull up a chair to sit down. "Black Canary took him out and his men too. She knocked him out with…some kind of sonic device I think."

"Another one?" Diggle interjected. Talking out the small egg shaped device the wig wearing blonde that had save Oliver and Laurel had used.

Felicity shrugged back at him with a confused look. "I guess."

"Are you alright?" Oliver asked leaning forward towards his friend. "Where you hurt?"

"No! I'm fine," Felicity was quick to say, "The Count and his men, they didn't hurt me. And Black Canary… She just let me go. She was making guesses about why I there. But I didn't tell her anything."

"It's okay," Oliver said softly, gesturing for her to stay calm. "I'm glad you're okay. Just please don't ever do something like that again."

"I won't I promise," Felicity nodded with fierce agreement, "It's fine. Everything's fine."

###

Black Canary looked down at the screen of her phone, before pressing the send button.

"I'm sending you a photo," She said in her comm, "Can you run facial recognition for me? I want to know who this woman is."

"She followed the Counts victims via their work addressed, following the path and linking it to the city flu vaccination van." Oracle voice sounded in her ear. "Just like I did. Hmmmm."

"Don't get jealous," Black Canary replied with smirk, amused by her hacker friend. "You're still the best hacker around."

"Oh I know," Oracle laughed, playing to role of ego game well. "It's just nice to hear it. So…. You let this girl go?"

"I'm not in the habit of questioning innocent people," Black Canary replied, "She was scared enough of me as it was. Plus…"

"You tag her." Oracle finished. Referring to the tiny, canary shopped trackers she'd sent her.

"I tagged her."

 **A/N**

 **Olicity:** I know last chapter I said I was anti-Olicity. I need to elaborate, that does not mean I'm anti Felicity. In fact, I love Felicity. At least the first two seasons of her, before her character got reduced to the source seemingly never ending drama of a romance I couldn't get behind. Thus adding to my hate of Olicity.

But brilliant, quirky, no mouth filter, adorkable Felicity. Her I love.

 **Sara** : It's strange writing her name like that. Usually with that pronunciation I would go with Sarah. But I'm following the show on this one. Anyway…. I have a kind of love hate thing going on with this character. Basically all the things I love about her, I hate her having because truthfully in my opinion they belonged to Laurel (Dinah).

 **Imagine this…** They make a Batman TV series, but they give Bruce a younger brother. This brother leaves the city after their parents are killed, Bruce I dunno becomes a lawyer. The brother comes back years later highly trained and extremely skilled. He becomes 'The Bat'. He fights the bad guys, maybe saves the city. People how don't know the original story think this guys the real hero. But along the way he's killed. Bruce, finding out what his brother had been doing. With next to no experience and hardly any training, becomes 'Batman' to finish his brothers work and honour him. 'Cept he can't fight, and people that don't know what he should be capable of call him a fraud and say his brother was the real hero.

Does anyone else feel like hitting their head against their desk?

It might not be exactly the same, but in my opinion that's what Arrow did to Black Canary. Just because she isn't as well-known as Batman or Superman doesn't mean there aren't people out there they knew what she should be capable off. Nobody would do that to Batman, why do it to Black Canary?


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N** : I'm so sorry for the long wait. I actually had a bit of trouble finishing this chapter. I stopped watching Arrow about a season and a half ago, so out of sight out of mind right. So in order for me to get myself back into this story, I'm going to have to more DC it up. Sorry if that's not the way you were hoping it would go. It will still be Arrow but Arrow from the first 3 seasons, meets DCU.

 **Canary Cry: Canary Fly**

The tracker she'd tagged on the techy blond was the same type she'd used on Thea. With the same weak signal and limited range.

She'd uploaded the signal onto an app on her phone and left it to go off if she got close. As much as she would have like to track down the other woman, and find out what kind of link she had going on with the hooded vigilante, she had more important things to worry about at the moment.

The other blond in the mask was a concern she couldn't leave.

"You're going after the masked blond woman aren't you?" Oracle asked over her com unit as she made her way across town, zipping down roads on her bike.

"You disagree?" Black Canary asked finally as she parked her motorcycle and looked around the street.

"Oh no," Oracle denied, she could almost hear the hacker shaking her head. "You just had to choose which mask to go after. The blond you tagged that could lead you to the hood, or the mystery blond that could be after your alter ego."

"Thanks for summing it up," Black Canary quipped, and looked across the road to the SCPD precinct. "I'm here. Talk you later."

"Be careful," Was the last thing she heard before the com turned off.

Laurel still didn't know if the woman had been following her as Laurel or as Black Canary. There was even a chance that she had been there for Oliver as well. But if it was a Laurel Lance thing, that meant there could be a chance that it could be a Quentin Lance thing too. With even the smallest chance that someone was after her father, Laurel wasn't going to risk it.

No one would dare go after her father; she wouldn't allow that danger to exist. Even if it was only the slightest chance, she had to make sure he was safe.

After she'd checked out her father, she would check in on Oliver. Laurel tried to ignore the clenching feeling in her chest at the thought that something might be after Oliver. That something might happen to him.

So soon after getting him back.

But first she checked in on her father. She'd camped out in the shadows outside the precinct until he finished his shift, and then had followed him home. It was faintly alarming to her the ease she had in hiding herself in the shadows outside her father's place. The roof top across the street gave clear view of his front door and the road up to it. It also had a good view of some of the surrounding buildings.

Apparently she wasn't the only one that thought so.

She ducked down against the roof mounted air-conditioning unit. Peaking around the edge to take in the other person hiding on the rooftop. Anyone else would have missed them, hidden as they were in the shadows. Black Canary could make out the white-blond hair and corset like black top. Their lips pursed and shifted as if she was fighting with herself, fighting to hold something in.

Sudden the unknown blond stiffened, glancing sharply over her shoulder. As if she had sensed the other person on the roof with her. Apparently one to listen to her instincts, she turned and ran across the roof.

Leaping down the fire escape and into the alley below. Black Canary didn't think twice, she wasn't about the let the other woman to get away from her. Not with her father potentially at risk.

She threw herself after her.

She landed atop a dumpster, barely pausing before she flipped off it and onto the ground. She raced down the littered alleyways after the fleeing masked woman. She had to hand it to her, the other woman was fast. Skilled at moving with speed through blocked alleyways and up fire escapes. She used everything to her advantage to get up and away, heading back across rooftops. But Black Canary hadn't spent months chasing Wildcat across rooftops for nothing. Plus there was Gotham; most of her time there was spent on rooftops.

It was her playground.

She managed to get in front of the mystery blond by using a nearby ledge to flip herself up and over the other woman. To her credit stranger didn't allow this to throw her off. Already moving to attack with a speed, that had Black Canary been less skilled, would have ended things very quickly.

She leant back slightly allowing the metal rod to pass over her head, before dodging the swing from the other hand. She used her own momentum and the other woman's off balanced stance, to spin around and kick her in the stomach. The woman stumbled back a few steps before straightening. Her jaw obviously clenching, as she twirled the metal rods in both hands.

Black Canary shifted into a fighting stance, unable to fight to smirk that appeared on her bright red painted lips. They both moved at the same time, meeting each other with a flurry of blows and kicks. Black Canary blocked most of the blows, dodging the metal rods when it was aimed at her head. The reinforced plating in her sleeves of her jacket enabled her to block all her opponents' swings, without any lingering pain.

The other woman's outfit didn't seem to boast the same protection. As a faint grunt escaped clench teeth and pursed lips, after Black Canary delivered a quick punch combo.

She dropped down to perform a swiping kick to knock the other woman off her feet, only to have her opponent dance out of the way. Before the stranger could take advantage of Black Canary's newly vulnerable position, she planted both hands on the ground. Flipping herself up, she kicked out with both feet.

It connected with the other woman chest, knocking her back clear off her feet and onto the ground some distance away. Where she lay stunned and unmoving. Black Canary approached slowly, looking down at the woman as she seemed to be fighting for her breath.

"You're pretty good," She remarked idly watched as those masked eyes gave her a hazy glare. "You'd have to be I guess. I recognise the style. Nanda Parbat right?"

She leant down and gave a glare of her own. "What business does the League of Assassin's have in Starling?!"

###

 **Gotham**

 _Patrol was always interesting in Gotham. In between Penguins thugs running guns or drugs across the city, the turf war between the families or the random gangs creating chaos just because. There was always something to keep you busy at night. Still the freezing winds and frosted Gotham nights were hard to endure, especially in fishnets. Or fishnet lookalikes rather. Not that she'd ever tell Ted that, or Babs._

 _She ignored the icy breeze as she stood on the roof top, gazing down at the street. The police scanner had reported strange sightings in the Diamond District, men in black hoods and masks. Oracle had been surprisingly closed mouth about the whole thing; just telling her in was being looked after. When she hadn't backed down the redhead computer hacker had simply told her to be careful._

 _The unmistakable sound of fighting came to her, and she turned speeding off in that direction. Ready to dive into the fray like she always did, when the sight of the fight pulled her up short._

 _Men the head to toe black, their faces masked like something out of a ninja movie. Medieval chainmail and studs glinted in moonlight, wicked looking swords swung in vicious movements. But it wasn't them that made her stop, it was their opponent._

 _He was blocking swords with swirls of long black material and his spiked arm guards. Breaking a few swords off their hilts before downing the ninja lookalikes with a vicious blow, that had them laid out cold._

 _For a moment all she could do was watch him fight._

 _He was over six foot in height but appeared to tower over them. With the pointed cowl and billowing cape he was unmistakable. Black Canary couldn't deny that her jaw dropped._

 _Standing like something out of nightmare or a gothic story. Was a myth, an apparently very real myth._

 _The Batman was real._

###

 **Present**

Whatever reply the masked blond was about to give, or not give, was lost when a green arrow slammed into the wall behind them. Its razor sharp tip biting into the brick of the wall as if it were a corkboard. The extra thick shaft of arrow, beeped once then twice before it exploded in a brilliance of light.

A flash grenade mounted arrow.

She instinctively ducked to protect her eyes, but rolled away knowing better than to stay still. Her vision cleared just in time to see the shorter blond scramble to her feet, and jump off the side of the building. She moved to follow only to find her path blocked by a green clad chest.

"You're stopping me?" She couldn't help but ask, not quiet believing that he'd picked her as the threat. "You should go after her. She's the assassin!"

He actually seemed surprised by that, from what she could see of his face. "Why do you care?" He shot back at her.

"I told you before," She shot back, clenching her fists at her sides. But made no move. "I'm here to protect this city."

"This city is protected," His voice was firm and completely sure of himself.

"Yes it is." She agreed, unable and completely unwilling to fight the smile that spread across her lips. "Not just by you."

"You will get hurt if you keep doing this," He said calming twisting his bow and moved to leave. "This isn't a game."

"Oh I'm well aware of that." She called after him, "I am capable of taking care of myself. Or did you need a reminder."

He didn't reply, glancing back at her from the side of his hood. She could see his jaw clench just under the material. He turned to follow the other masks path off the roof.

He did get very far when a sound came from the other side of the roof, both the Arrow and Black Canary turned as one to watch a figure appear from the ventilation mist. It only took her a second to recognise the outfit as what it was. Two members of the League of Assassin's was not something she wanted in Starling. The Arrow seemed to recognise it to, but for something else.

"Merlyn?" He breathed in what seemed to be shock. Jaw dropping shock.

The Assassin ignored him, turning to look Black Canary up and down. "You are not Ta-er al-Usfar."

"No," She didn't know what it meant, but it wasn't a name she recognised for herself. "I am the Black Canary."

"I have heard of you," The assassin remarked, before dismissing her looking between her and the Arrow. "Return Ta-er al-Usfar. Do not seek to shelter her."

"Merlyn?" The Arrow's voice was confused. He seemed to be increasingly agitated as he shifted he's stance and grip on his bow. "What is going on?"

"Calm down," She hissed at him, not taking her eyes off the assassin. "Don't piss him off. Where there's one there's probably more. And I want to know what the League of Assassin's is doing in Starling."

"League of Assassins?!" He hissed right back at her, the incredulity in his voice clear.

"Our business here is of no concern to you," The Assassin replied his tone flat. "Surrender Ta-er al-Usfar if you have her. Or do not interfere."

With that he disappeared into the darkness. Black Canary signed and walked toward the roofs edge, looking after the path the masked blond had taken.

"Another reason to find the blond assassin." She muttered to herself, determination building.

"What is going on?!" The Arrow had apparently had enough, closing in on her. "How do you know about the League of Assassin's and what is with the Merlyn look-alike!"

"I don't know anything Merlyn," Black Canary replied, looking back at the empty place the assassin had stood. "That man was gearing the garb of the League of Assassin's. As for me know about them….well you can say I've had some run-ins."

###

 **Gotham**

 _The choice on whether she would get involved in the fight was made for her. When a sound behind her, had her turning in check. The movement put her out of the way of his swing, the sword slicing down where she had been standing. Her foot slammed into his knee, dislocating the joint and sending the masked man to the ground. She punched him hard knocking him out, before grabbing hold of the ledge and jumping off the roof._

 _She landed lightly in amongst the group of hooded men. To their credit they didn't even seem surprised by her sudden appearance. The Bat didn't either; as he continued to work his way through the crowd with a brutally efficient skill._

 _They rushed her with swords drawn, ready to run her through simply for being there. She meet them with an attack of her own. Inhaling sharply, she released it all in a scream._

 _The canary cry ploughed through the ninja's like a physical object. The sound wave, knocking the men away and down with the easy of swatting a fly. Windows around them shattered and nearby wall cracked under the strain before Black Canary let up. She heaved another breath, just as another group moved to rush forward._

 _Black Canary dropped into a fighting stance to meet them._

 _What happened next was a mess of sword swings, flips, punches and kicks. She didn't trust the reinforced plating against a sword. So she spent most of the time ducking and dodging, before getting up close to take them down._

 _At one point she found herself back to back with the caped crusader. Together they both plunged through their opponents, with over-whelming skill. When only a few masked men remained, she watched as they backed off. Suddenly a massive smoke bomb went off; when it cleared she noticed all the masked men were gone. Including it seemed, the Batman._

 _Later on back at the ClockTower. She marched her way across the room and slammed both hands down on the computer table and stared down at Barbara. "What the hell was that?"_

 _The red headed hacker looked uncomfortable for a moment, before looking up at Black Canary. "You just meet the League of Assassin's."_

" _The what?" She couldn't help but exclaim. Seriously she thought, there's a group out there called that?_

" _There's a lot in this world that you don't know about yet." Barbara said softly looking down at the computer, the angle making her glasses glint. "There's still a lot the be learnt Dinah."_

###

 **Present**

"If the League is in town, it could mean anything." Black Canary stated stood on the edge of the roof. Poised on the ledge, ready to dive in any direction should the need arise. The Arrow stood just by her, in a similar stance. She turned her head to look at him. "We need to find that blond assassin."

"We?" The Arrow growled out the question. Managing to sound both curious and dismissive at the same time.

"Together or alone," She clarified. "We. Both of us, need to find out what interest these people have in Starling."

"The League of Assassin are not a group that you mess around with," She returned turning to face him directly. "If they are in Starling it's not a good thing. In case the name didn't give you an idea of who they are. They're not nice people, and they don't care about collateral damage."

"So even if they are only here after the other masked blonde…." He tried off, unease at where the thought lead.

"They will kill anyone that gets in there way," She finished it for him anyway. The Arrow turned to look out at the city, taking the buildings full of light and life. Places full of innocent people the League was willing the cut through just to get to one blond.

"Fine," He said finally, "You've encountered this League of Assassin's before?" At her nod he continued. "We will find this masked blond. This doesn't mean I trust you. And we do this my way."

He stepped down off the ledge and crossed to the fire escape.

"We'll see about that," She muttered moving to follow him. Only to have him pause and turn back to her.

"How did you know she was going to be here?" He questioned eye gaze intent from under his hood.

"I didn't," She answered truthfully. "I heard about her turning up to save Oliver Queen, and lady friend." She fought the spark of amusement at calling herself Ollie's 'lady friend', and continued. "Reports read her name was Lance. I couldn't find her, and Queen is probably in his mansion. So on a hunch I thought I'd check out Lance's family. It paid off."

The Arrow seemed to narrow his eyes at her, before turning sharping and making his way down the stairs. Laurel buried the need to sigh, and followed after him.

Once on street level they turned to face each other.

"Chances are the blond assassin has gone to ground," The Arrow informed, ignoring the 'well duh' look Black Canary shot him. "The other assassin probably has a hideout set up. Which we need to find, or to have him come to us. We'll have to keep a look out."

"Agreed," She said before moving to walk off, only to pause and glance back at him. She didn't trust him, didn't even really know him. She'd heard that he was trying to help the city, even if she didn't agree with his methods. With the League of Assassin's in town and one of them after her family, for some reason or another. Did she have a choice of allies, with her father on the line?

Black Canary turned and looked at him, he was standing there. His hood shadowing half his face, while his dark green suit seemed to glow in the faint street light. Literally half in the shadow, half in the light. She wondered if maybe that was a good visual for him, of what he really was. Or maybe she was just hoping there was more to him, then the killer she'd heard about. She sighed slightly and walked away from him

###

There was silence when he returned to the lair. Felicity was sitting in front of the computers, chewing on her lower lip. Diggle was standing across the room with his arms crossed. They both just watched him, as he clicked his bow into its holder and turned to look at them.

"So…" It was John the finally broke the silence, "Interesting night?"

"You could say that," Oliver replied pulling his hood away from his neck, and ripping his gloves off.

"You really believe Black Canary?" Felicity asked quietly from her chair.

"I don't know," Oliver replied leaning back on of the tables. "But if is she's right about the assassin's. Then it's better to be safe than sorry."

"League of Assassin's what's up with that?" Felicity said raising both eyebrows over her glasses. Before turning back to her computers.

"I'd heard about them," Oliver admitted with a half shrug. "I always just thought it was a myth. The whole Merlyn lookalike bit is really throwing me. Black Canary said the outfit was the League of Assassin's uniform basically."

"They seem pretty real now," Diggle replied, before adding "Unless it's all a set up."

"Another reason to be careful," Oliver agreed.

"I think you can trust her," Felicity said softly, before turning to look at them. "She saved me from Vertigo remember." She ignored Oliver's glare at the reminder of her brush with a psychopath, and pointed towards her computer. "Every report I've head says she's a good guy…ehhh woman, good woman..ehh…never mind... She helps people, and she's been doing it for as long as you Oliver."

"Well what matters now is tracking down this other masked blond." Oliver said he's voice shifting to his 'command' tone as he crossed towards the computer bank.

"The Canary lite," Diggle quipped as he followed.

"So after tonight, it's safe to say she's following the Lance family." Felicity remarked, "If Black Canary couldn't find Laurel, and I'm not surprised because neither can I. Chances are she went after papa Lance instead."

"What do you mean you can't find Laurel?" Oliver questioned, frowning down at Felicity. The concern the shot through him sharp and fierce. Only to have Felicity to blink up at him confused.

"Just that," She replied pointing at the screen in front of her, "No phone listing, no house, no job."

"Didn't she just move back to Starling right?" Dig stated, looking between the two. "So maybe she's not settled yet."

"Maybe," Felicity said flatly looking away. "It's kind of a shame if we could find her, maybe the 'canary lite' will show up."

"No," Oliver's voice held a bite that surprised both Diggle and Felicity, "We're not using Laurel as bait."

"I've been used as bait," Felicity shot back.

"You agreed to be bait," Oliver returned, cutting off the argument quickly "I need to find Laurel. She doesn't know there might be an assassin after her."

"Or maybe she does," Diggle replied, he held up hands at Oliver's vaguely aggressive look. "Oliver it's been six years since you've been around her. You yourself know how much someone can change in just five."

"I need to find Laurel," Oliver repeated, before moving off to get changed. Felicity and Diggle shared a look behind his back.

###

"Sin," She called pushing the draped bit of plastic out of her way with an impatient brush. Looking up and down the alley ways she called louder. "SIN!"

"Dinah?" The young voice came behind her. Laurel turned to watch the young dark hair woman come out from behind a rusted out car.

"There you are, I've been looking all over for you," Laurel sigh, relief flooding her that her young friend was alright.

"Yeah," Sin mutter to the ground, shifting on her feet.

"Sin is not a good name to be calling all over Starling." Laurel joked attempting to break the mood. "You should have seen some of the looks I was getting."

Sin gave her a small amused smile, and Laurel called in a win.

"I had a run in with your other blond friend," Laurel said gently, hands in her pockets and she moved closer slowly.

Sin's breath seemed to catch.

"Everyone's alright," Laurel informed softly, but with a need to finish and say her piece. "We all survived the meeting."

"Right," Sin seemed to be really interested in ground.

"You do know she dangerous right?" Laurel's concern filled tone stated. "Sin's promise me you won't go near her, until I get things sorted. And you'll call me if you see her?"

"Dinah…." Sin looked ready to cry, before finally nodding. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to find out why she's here."

"How are you doing to do that?" Sin questioned, frowning at her hero.

#SC#

She was going use herself as bait.

Not something she was comfortable with. But it was the best way to get her blond stalker to come out. That was if the blond was still in the city. It was easy steps at first; she booked herself into a hotel and just generally went about being seen. She already knew that she'd been following her father, so she turned up at her father's work for lunch.

Quentin Lance more than happy to have Laurel around, but even he knew something was up.

"Sweetheart," He said after they had chattered for a while, he frown at her. Voice full of concern "Are you alright."

"Yeah Dad I'm fine," She replied snagging on of her father's chips with a smirk. Big Belly Burger was the best take away to surprise her father with.

"Hey," He protested giving her a playful glare, before his expression turned serious. "You've had a rough time lately. Two attacks on the streets. The whole thing with your sister's death, you mother's leaving." He looked her directly in the eye and added dejectedly. "Me."

"Dad…" She started only for him to shake his head at her. Affection for her father and concern building, she knew things hadn't gone smoothly in Quentin Lance's life.

"I'm serious here sweetie," His face softened, before taking on a proud look. "Anyone else would have broken. But you didn't… You are so strong."

"Ahh Dad," She replied smiling brightly, warmth and love filling her as she leant over to kiss his check. "I have good support that's all."

#SC#

He had no idea of where to start looking for Laurel. So he decided to suck up his pride and go directly to the one person that might actually know where to find her.

Quentin Lance.

The man had made his opinion of Oliver very clear to him over the last year. He had at one point declared that he was glad Laurel no longer lived in Starling. It had been just after Oliver had put on the Hood, and his run-ins with Detective Lance had begun.

The shock at finding Laurel had moved away, and the pain that he wouldn't have been able to see her. Explain everything to her. Was made worse when Lance had said he happy she was as far away from the greatest source of her pain she could get.

Over the year their relationship, what there was of it, had thawed somewhat. His admittance to being not being alone on the island, and pain he had suffered there. Had slightly shifted Lance's opinion of him. But it had been Lance's own acceptance of working with the vigilante that had cause the massive change.

Still Quentin Lance and Oliver Queen were wary of each other at best, downright hostile at worst. Especially when Dinah Laurel Lance was concerned.

The relief he felt when he saw Laurel leaving the SCPD building was twofold. The emotion was so intense it brought him to a complete stop on the footpath.

It was relief that he didn't have to ask Quentin about a daughter, he knew he would be warned away from. But mostly there was relief just at the sight of her. He hadn't realised just how worried he had been for her, until the moment he saw her. Saw that she was unharmed, and not at some assassin's grasp.

"Ollie," She broke into a sunny smile at the sight of him, which sent a warm feeling spreading through him. She always had a way of lighting up his world when she was there.

"Laurel," He said softly in reply, breaking into a smile of his own.

"Are you alright?" She asked quickly, realising that they were in fact standing out the front of the police station. She gestured back at the building. "Did you need…?"

"No everything's fine." He replied putting a hand on her arm, before letting it drop. But the warmth seemed to linger. "I was actually going to ask Officer Lance, if he had your contact number."

"Oh," Laurel blinked in surprise before giving a small laugh. Unable to believe that the couple of times she'd bumped into him, she hadn't given him her new number. "I'm sorry. Here let me give you my number."

#SC#

"You're staying at a hotel?" Ollie asked as he followed down the side walk.

"I am for now," Laurel replied truthfully. Watching as Oliver scanned the street and check things out. He even took a look out of all the windows of the building surrounding them.

"If you need a place to stay, you could have stayed at the manor." Oliver offered, moving to stand by her side.

Laurel was struck with a flash back of nights at the Queen's mansion, before lies and betrayals had coloured the memories. Simpler times, when it was just her and Oliver.

"Nah I'm good," She replied with a half-smile, trying to keep her voice even. She looked up to meet his eye, watching the blue glint like they always did in the low light. And another memory sweep over her. Back when it was just her and him. "Thanks for the offer 'though."

"Right…" He nodded before gesturing over his shoulder, "I need to get back to the office. Work and stuff."

"Okay," Laurel laughed, before stepping forward to hug him. He's arms slide around her easily, as if they still remembered where to rest.

"Thanks for walking me back to the hotel." She said after they separated, "I'll see you later right."

"Of course," Oliver agreed. "See you around Laurel."

She turned to walk off, even as she fought the urge to call him to come with her. There would be time for that later.

She had work to do.

 **A/N:** Laurel is called 'Laurel' by everyone on in her old life. She's called Dinah by everyone else in her masked life because Ted's a pest….. And I want her to be Dinah.

I had someone ask in a review about pairings. I realised I never really stated, so I will now. When I start writing a story I have an idea of what pairings I want it to be, but I usually wait to see if the character are going to behave before I try to pull it off. This story is still early days yet, chapter wise and character wise. But I can say when I started this; I had every intention of making it Oliver/Laurel. That hasn't changed at this stage.

 **Superwoman readers**. To the reader of my other DC story Superwoman. You might have noticed I haven't updated it in a while. The story is not abandoned, nowhere near. It's actually getting a rewrite. If you want to read the chapters as they a redone, you can read it on Archive Of Our Own, it's under the writer name jessss82. It's still getting worked out, but I'm more than happy to have people check it out.


	6. Chapter 6

**Canary Cry. Canary Fly**

Arrow after arrow slammed into their targets with the speed of a master archer, as Oliver stepped forward into a roll to come up attacking his last opponent with his fists. Whirling bow and fists in a furious attack that seemed unrelenting.

Finally, panting he stepped back scanning the dimly lit room. His bare chest gleaming with sweat from his exertion. His tattoo's and scars standing out starkly in the dim light. Tennis balls pierced with arrow lay scattered around him, and the wooden martials dummy looked like it had seen better days. One of the wooden arms shattered from his last blow.

"He still training?" Oliver heard Diggle question behind him, concern lacing the words that Oliver really didn't want or need.

"For hours now," Felicity answered in the same tone. Before adding in a softer voice, he almost missed. "I'm not really complaining 'though."

"Well I am," Dig said in a serious voice, brushing aside with Oliver hoped was Felicity's attempt at levity. "Oliver seriously man, you can't help doing this."

"Doing what Dig," Oliver replied flatly fighting the annoyance he really didn't want to unleash on his friends. He stepped forward to place his bow back its stand. "Training to get better?"

"Better than what?" Dig questioned as he crossed his arms.

"I don't know. The Merlyn look alike, the blond that's assassin trained, or the blond in fishnets that kicked my ass!" Oliver voice was getting louder with each example, before he turned to face his friends. His arms wide as if he was welcoming them to add to the list. "I feel like things are getting out of control."

"I'm pretty sure things have been out of control from the beginning," Dig remarked softly completely unaffected by Oliver's tirade. "Black Canary said they were League of Assassins didn't she."

The feeling of helplessness that washed over him was not something that Oliver ever wanted to feel again. The whole situation was out of his control, and he didn't like that one bit.

"Yes," Oliver replied running a hand threw his hair. "That's what she said."

"Okay let's talk this out," Ever the peace keeper Felicity stepped in, "What we can tell is...We have fishnet blonde, NOT your enemy." She pointed a finger at him, as he made to interrupt. "Possible assassin Blonde...by the way, I've come across reports of her beating up bad guys in the Glade. Merlyn look alike, you said was here for possible Blonde assassin. But I'm still stuck on this whole League of Assassin's thing. Hey question? You didn't really explain before. What is the League of Assassins anyway? And please don't say it's a League made up of assassins."

"I heard rumours about them when I was deployed," Dig informed, before shrugging. "Always thought it was a myth."

"They wouldn't be as good as they are, if everyone knew about them," Oliver replied darkly.

"How'd you hear about them?" Dig asked giving Oliver a sideways look. He constantly seemed surprised by the knowledge Oliver seemed to come out with.

"I've heard about them too," Oliver replied with an indifferent shrug, "Now there's two in Starling, and one of them might be after Laurel."

"So, find possible Blonde assassin, find Merlyn look-alike." Felicity short them both a large smile. "Two birds, one stone."

"You make it sound so easy," Oliver replied with a mix of amusement and gratitude.

"That's me, I'm easy!" Felicity's bright smile faded to a look of horror, when she released what she'd said. "No wait! I didn't mean that!"

Well used to Felicity slip ups, Oliver and Dig turned to each other.

"Find the blonde assassin, keep an eye on the Lance's, right?" Dig said repeating their earlier conclusion. That the unknown woman had been following Laurel and Quentin.

"Right," Oliver said he with confident nod. But inside fear started to churn, as he realised one thing. "Only Laurel hasn't been answering her cell phone and we don't know where she is, do we?"

"She checked into a hotel." Oliver remember, before shaking his head in annoyance. "She didn't tell me which one." He turned to give Felicity and unreadable look. "I thought you check hotels."

"I'll check again," Felicity replied as she spun around already working on her computer.

"What about her father? Should we call Detective…I mean Officer Lance?" Felicity questioned, looking from Oliver to Diggle and back. "Shouldn't we...you know ...we could warn him that there might be an assassin following him around?"

"I don't want him to get involved in this," Oliver replied shaking his head. "It could put him in danger."

"He's already involved Oliver, these assassins are following him," Diggle informed. "That means he's already in danger."

"Do it," Oliver said after a moment's thought, nodding to Felicity.

Diggle and Oliver stood quietly as Felicity called Quentin's cell phone, it barely ran three times before he answered.

"Lance," Was the short greeting over the loud speaker.

"Detec…Officer Lance," Felicity greeted in reply.

"Oh, it's you," He said gruffly recognising her voice, "What does your friend want now?"

"Actually Officer Lance this is about you," Felicity replied shooting Oliver a look over her shoulder. "There's some people in town, and we think might be following you. And your daughter."

"What? Laurel?!" Quentin's naturally rough voice deepened as concern for his daughter filled it, "Will she be alright? Who are these people."

"Bad people Officer Lance," Felicity answered truthfully even as Oliver shifted slightly behind her, he always preferred to play with his card close to the chest. But this was for Laurel, he reminded himself. He gestured to her to continued. "Do you know where Laurel is?"

"No," Quentin almost growled in replay, sounding as if he was kicking himself.

"Let us know if you find her, okay," Felicity requested, before hanging up. She turned slowly to face the others, as if not knowing the reaction she would meet.

"We need to find out where she is," Oliver ordered, determination pushing down his fear. He would find Laurel before the blonde assassin did.

Felicity was back her computer before he even finished, fingers flying in the way they always did when she was on a mission of her own.

"Oh," She remarked after only a moment, confusion pulling at her brow. "Found her."

"That was quick," Dig's voice echoed to confusion.

"Like you said she check into a hotel," She replied her tone a tad defensive. "She wasn't checked in anywhere earlier. Now she is..."

"And you're not going to believe this," Felicity informed them pointing at the monitor for the upstairs security camera. She watched the blonde in the footage cross the crowded club above them. "Laurel's upstairs."

"That was easy." Dig deadpanned.

"Yeah. Easy." Felicity repeated, before wincing as she was reminded of her earlier slip up.

#SC#

 **New York City**

 _Ted's fists might as well have been lined with steel. They sure as hell fight as if they were._

 _Laurel stumbled back, her hand instinctively going to her jaw. As she turned to work out the ache. She's only been training with Ted for a few weeks now. Her Mothers old 'partner' wasn't showing her any lenience, due to her relationship with his old friend. If anything, it seemed like he was being harder on her._

 _Her bruises spoke of that._

 _Still she was loving every minute of it. For the first time since the accident, since Oliver and Sara's deaths. She felt like she could focus on something. Something beyond the rage and pain that still built within her every time she thought about them. She couldn't grieve him properly because she was mad at him, couldn't be mad at him because he was dead. Couldn't be mad at her sister, because she was dead. Dead while cheating with Laurels boyfriend._

 _She shook herself off and raised her fists._

" _Again," She instructed, as Ted tilted his head at her._

" _Let's have a rest," He offered instead. "I'll get some ice for your jaw."_

" _It's fine," She said, because it was. Against all the pain she felt in the past, her jaw meant nothing._

" _Sometimes I wonder what's driving you Dinah," Ted remarked, reaching the pick up a towel to mope the sweat off his brow. "Your Mother told me a bit what happened to you. Pain can be a good motivator but believe me there are better ones out there."_

 _It wasn't pain she felt now, she knew. Instead now, she felt determination. She'd been betrayed, she'd been damaged, she'd been left behind. But she would never let that happen again, and she would protect the once she loved well doing it._

" _Not pain," She replied shrugging. "I'm going to try protect others from feeling it."_

#SC#

Barbara and Ted had been completely against Laurels plan to use herself as bait. But there hadn't been much they could do to talk her out of it.

Checking into a hotel for a few nights was the best way to leave some kind of paper trail. That and massive sign saying, 'Laurel is here'. Hopefully this mystery masked blonde would follow it.

Barbara had hacked all the camera's she could find, even the street camera with an angle of the hotel. Just encase the masked woman was spotted approaching.

But first Laurel had to be seen.

She'd been off the grid for so long, she'd moved from city to city without really leaving a foot print. Except in the criminal's rear ends. She had no job to go to. She felt a slight twinge of annoyance at that, and thought maybe she should try to rectify that.

She now had an obvious address, and with that a more noticeable life style was needed.

#SC#

Verdant was the place to be.

It was always popular and crowded, it was the perfect place to be. It was also a place Laurel Lance might have expected to go to, given her past relationship with the owners. If there was someone following her, and her family. They would have done their homework.

"Hey Speedy," Laurel greeted brightly as she slid into the bar seat across from the bartender.

Thea Queen's head dropped at the nickname, as the massive sigh shook her entire body. Laurel watched in amusement as Thea looked up at her with dismay. "Worst nickname _ever_." Thea announced loudly, "Seriously you and my brother."

"You and your brother what?" A familiar voice stated besides them.

"Ollie," Laurel greeted with another bright smile, trying to ignore the flutter inside the sight of him brought on.

"Where did you come from?" Thea asked him with a confused look.

"I was in the office," Oliver replied, giving her a strange look in return.

"Right," Thea confusion was still there but she seemed to accept Oliver's word, as she turned to Laurel. "Get you a drink."

"No thanks," Laurel replied, flicking her light blonde hair over her shoulder. "I'm good."

"Kay," Thea nodded, before giving a sigh, "I have to get back to work. Oliver, you know about work right?"

She walked past her brother shooting him a look, that Oliver replied to with an amused smile.

"Don't work too hard Speedy." He called after her.

Thea's groan in reply, had them both laughing.

"Laurel hey," Oliver greeted her as he took the seat next to her. "You're okay."

"Hey Ollie, yeah I'm good" She said giving him another smile, wondering at his phrasing. It sounded more like a statement then a question. She watched as something seemed to release in his eyes. Some tension or concern.

"What have you been up to?" He asked. Laurel could tell he was uncomfortable with the small talk. But given the way he was scanning her to see if she was alright, she figured he didn't really want an answer.

"Trying to settle back in to Starling," She answered truthfully, "Some things are a bit different." She shot him a half smile, that was meant to be reassuring. There was something different about this Oliver that had returned. An intensity that seemed to gather around him, like he was always on edge. Not quite able to relax.

She wondered not for the first time what had happened to him. What had that island done to him. Five years was a long time, all she needed to do was look at her own life to see how much a person could change in that time. Had she still been the Laurel of five year ago, she was sure she would have been spitting venomous words at Oliver. Pain from the loss of Sara and to betrayal of Oliver, would have more than enough to fuel her anger. But her own life choices over the last five years, revealed one simple truth.

The Oliver that did that had been lost, was not the Oliver that had returned.

She felt a thud of pain in her heart, that thinking of Sara always brought. It most have shown on her face, because Oliver broke of mid-sentence look give her a concerned look.

"You can say that again," He said quietly. Before turning to scan her. "I tried to call you a few times. You didn't answer."

"Yeah sorry," She said with an apologetic wince. "I broke my phone. Haven't been able to answer it." Funny enough it was a true story, but she doubted he would think she broke it while fighting a group of street thugs armed with baseball bats. Lucky, it was the only thing broken then. "I got a new phone, but they gave me a new number."

She pulled out a pen from her bag, and quickly wrote down her new number on a napkin. She bit her lip and handed it over to him.

"Sorry about that it's kind of become a bit a curse with me. Breaking phones that is." She laughed softly, watching him give her a smile in return. Feeling the ease of just sitting there talking to him, wash over her. "It's funny given what happened," She replied afterward leaning into the bench, watching her finger nail pitched at the tables surface. "But when I'm with you…. I can't help but wish Sara was here too."

"Laurel…." Her name had never been so crowded with meaning before. So many different types of I'm sorry, that she almost felt mad at him. Almost.

"It's ok," She replied, but the sad half smile didn't seem to comfort him. "I…. I forgive you for what happened to Sara. She always made her own choices and she wouldn't have gotten on that boat if she didn't want to. I'm just confused."

"Confused?" Oliver repeated unsure what she meant.

"I can't help but think…if you and I hadn't been going out. If I hadn't been pushing you, to fast or something. You wouldn't have felt the need to go behind my back, so you might not have gotten on that boat with Sara."

She looked at him with wide eyes, "…. was I responsible for Sara getting on that boat? If I had of backed off…."

"Laurel stop," The commanding tone that came to Oliver's voice was both forceful and impossible to deny. As she sat there watching him with wide eyes, he seemed to gather his usually demeanor again. "I didn't ask Sara to come with me because of you. I did because of me."

She looked up to meet his blue eyes. He looked so sad, that she regretted bring the subject up. But it would probably hurt worse not talking about it.

"You got so close Laurel," He said softly, his fingers reaching out to touch her fingers softly as she realised they were almost digging into the table. "So close….and I freaked out. I used Sara to create a wedge, to push you back. Because I was scared…."

"Ollie…." She started, but Oliver stopped her with a shake of his head. Truthfully, she was glad, she had no idea what she was going to say.

"You shouldn't forgive me Laurel," His voice was so broken as he said that, that Laurel had to stop herself from hugging him to her. "I killed Sara."

"Ollie no," She whispered, and gave into her urge. Pulling him as close as she could, as she felt his arm close around her too. After a while she stepped back, reaching up to grab hold of his face. Directing those blue eyes to hers. "Don't say that ever again. Don't even think it. I don't…. blame you Ollie, and neither should you."

His eyes fluttered closed, as he rested his check against her hand. She knew better then to think him blaming himself was over. In the end, all she had given him was words. He had to come to terms with it himself. But sometimes, words could be enough.

He reached up to take her hands, before stepping out of her hold.

"Thank you," He said, his voice sounding thick with emotion as he gave her hands a squeeze.

#SC#

She only just returned to her hotel suite when there was a knock at the door.

She had no idea who it could have been that tracked her here. The blonde assassin didn't seem like the type to knock on the door. But she checked it out cautiously anyway.

To her surprise she found her father standing in the door way.

"Dad," She greeted gapping in shock. Her surprise in her voice, as much as on her face.

"Laurel," Quentin replied, he seemed out of sorts. She watched as he seemed to keep scanning the hall around them, and looking back over his shoulder. "Can we go inside?"

"Sure," She said gesturing him inside. She didn't know what time limit she was on, or if the blonde would show up. But she wasn't going to turn away her father when he looked so worried.

He scanned her hotel room with an intensity that told her he wasn't simply looking at the room, but he was looking for danger.

"Dad?" She tried again, unable to keep the worry from filling her voice.

"Are you alright?" He asked instead of an explanation. Which only made her worry more.

"Yeah," She replied scanning her father, his worn face looking determined and worried.

"Sorry Sweetheart. I didn't mean to worry you," He said with a sigh. "You know last year I was in contact the hooded vigilante? I was contacted earlier by one of his…. associates. Laurel there's some people in town, bad people and there following me. They might be following you."

Relief hit her so hard the here shoulder physically relaxed. It seemed the Arrow had warned her father about the assassin's after all.

"I got worried when I couldn't find you," Quentin continued. "So, I had them run a search of the city for you. Sweetheart you didn't have to stay at a hotel. You could have always come home."

"It's only for a couple of days," Laurel replied, "I didn't want to put you out."

"Well why don't you come home with me?" Quentin offered, "Be safer and cheaper for you."

"I really don't want to put you out Dad," Laurel repeated quietly, reaching up rub her brow. She was doing this to keep him safe, and here he was trying to protect her. "I have a place lined up to live in, so I'll be out of here by tomorrow."

"Thanks for the offer Dad," Laurel continued, but was unable to say anymore more when her phone started to ring. She gave her father a soft 'sorry' and stepped back to answer it. "Hello?"

"Dinah!" Barbara's voice called instantly over the phone. "Rooftop now! Cameras have spotted movement!"

Laurel turned to look back at her father, wondering how she as going to kick him out, get changed and onto the rooftops without this whole thing failing massively.

"Dad," She said softly, pulling her phone back slightly. "I have to go. It's important."

"Laurel….!" He fathers command tone was starting up, and she pushed forward quickly to stop it.

"I'll call you later." She promised, pushing him towards to door. Ignoring his attempts to stop her and make her talk. She closed to door behind him and pushed the cell phone back up to her ear, to ask one thing.

"Where?"

#SC#

Seeing Laurel in person had helped calm some of the worry he had.

But he still felt tense as he stood guard outside her hotel. It didn't take long before he spotted the second mystery blonde in a mask. She must have been good, because she caught onto to his presence before she even saw him. She turned and ran, just like he hoped she would. Across rooftops and fire escapes, straight into the trap he had set.

Three mini crossbows, all loaded with ropes fired the moment she crossed the sensor. Tangling her in the cords before she even realised what had happened.

She stood there panting for a second, as she took in her new situation. But as the Arrow stepped out of the shadows, her jaw set and she tossed a small egg-shaped device on the ground.

The high-pitched ringing sound that came out of it took out the globe at the rooftop doorway.

"Does it get any louder?" The Arrow asked as nonchalant as he could. Before the sound faded into the silence of the night. "Why are you following Laurel Lance?"

"I can ask the same thing of you," The blond shot back, mouth twisting in a smirk. "But I guess some things never change. You and her, always and forever."

"Who are you?" He demanded, trying to hide the unease her seemly calm comments of him and Laurel had left him.

"Once you know your life will never be the same," She warned, her voice turning almost sad.

"I can take it," He almost snarled back, at the end of his patience of dealing with her.

"Not this time…" She paused for a moment looking up to meet his eye. "Ollie."

Heart clenching and stomach swooping, he reached out to pull her mask and wig off her. The sight of Sara Lance staring at him threw him back years into the past. Watching her swept away with the ocean, and again on the island.

"Sara," He gasped stumbling back a few steps, wondering if the ground had become uneven or if it was just him.

"I'll give you some time." Sara said with a flat voice, "To let it sink in."

The sound device on the ground exploded in a bright flash of light and sparks. Sending Oliver diving to the side to get clear. Momentary blinded and deaf, he rolled over and looked back to find Sara gone.

#SC#

Her Black Canary suit was thankfully so slim fitting and small she could wear it under her normal clothes. She ran, stripping off her day clothes as she went, up the stairwell and out a roof exit. She tossed her clothing under an air-conditioning unit and finished pressing her mask into place.

One of the reasons she's chosen this hotel was the easy access to the roof, and the closeness to the other rooftops around it. She was already running across the rooftops, before the access door had closed behind her. She cleared the ledge and was moving across the next building with an easy of someone who had done this sort of thing many times.

She paused for a moment and looked around. Oracle had seen the blonde on the rooftops, but her father's interruption had cost her. It seemed as if the other woman had already moved on.

The sound of a high-pitched ringing called her attention on a nearby roof top.

"Gotcha," She whispered and took off in that direction.

It most have been her luck of the evening, that when she got there she found the Arrow standing in front of the mystery blonde. Black Canary slowed at the rooftop edge, ready to make to jump and confront her stalker. When the Arrow reached up and pulled off the other woman mask and wig.

Sara

For a moment, the world around her disappeared. Fading out into a grey hazy of background noise and colour. She felt dizzy and unbalanced, as is the world had tried to throw her off.

"Sara?" She mumbled through numb lips. Before stumbling back to drop on to her backside. How long she sat there, she didn't know. But the distant sound of an explosion barely registered, as the world around her shifted in a way she really didn't understand.

Sara was alive!?

A/N: Sorry for the wait. Short I know, but I figured better than nothing. 'Sides I had to brush up on my Arrow episodes and watching season 2 in akin to pulling teeth for me. Soooo…..all I got for now. I should get better once it starts to move away from canon, we'll be feeling the butterfly effect of the changes sooner or later.

Please review, tell me what you thought.

 **New Story:**

Elseworlds. Arrow.

An equipment malfunction lands SUPERWOMAN and her Justice League team mates in the Arrow universe. But they don't go through alone. How will Team Arrow and Team Flash deal with these new Heroes and Villains.

Crossover between my Superwoman story and the Arrow television universe.


	7. Chapter 7

_Italics -Flashback_

 ** _Canary Cry: Canary Fly_**

 _ **Gotham**_

 _The elevator ride was completely silent, except for the faint background hum of machinery. Laurel lent against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest. Her gloved fingers clenching at the black leather arms of her jacket. She had no idea why she felt so tense, but she thought she might have been picking up on it from her red head friend._

 _Barbara was sitting up straight in her wheelchair. Her jaw set in a determined expression that told Laurel absolutely nothing of what to expect. But instead was creating a desire within her to come out of the elevator punching._

 _She'd asked where they were going. She had received a reply about going to a neutral location, and that someone had to respect Barbara's personal sanctum. That and something about not wanting things to get broken, should anything go sideways._

 _Laurel had shot her a side look, but Barbara's face remained blank. Except for a small twinkle of laughter in her eyes. Not understanding Laurel just shook her head._

 _Earlier that night, Laurel had come storming in to the clocktower demanding answers to the identity to the masked group of men that she and Batman had faced off against. The answer had made her wish she'd never asked._

 _The League of Assassin's_

 _An apparently very real, very deadly organisation that had been around for longer than most countries._

 _She exhaled sharply through her nose, turning her attention to the elevators floor sign. Watching the numbers flash by. She almost didn't recognise her life sometimes. A hand full of years ago, everything was so different. She'd been young and naïve, and very much in love. Then one heartbreaking day later, she'd lost her love and her sister, then she'd also lost herself. How was she to know that in an attempt to rebuild herself, she would find herself where she was now._

 _A vigilante with a cry that could shatter metal. That was about to have a conversation about a league of Assassin's. That she had come across in a fight with the fabled Batman._

 _A small snort of laughter escaped her at the sheer absurdity of her life now, and how far from normal she had travelled. Barbara broke her heavy staring at the doors to send Laurel a curious look, but her otherwise expression was still tense._

 _Laurel shot her a large smile. Her own building tension broken. She would face what was beyond those doors, after all it was just another stop on the ride that was now her life._

 _They exited onto the top floor, and took a small service ramp onto the roof. Meeting the dark frosted sight of Gotham stretching out around them. Fresh snow fall crunched under reinforced boots, as Laurel made her way out into the open._

 _She stood there a moment taking in the view, when the sensation of being watched came over her. Hairs on the back of her neck prickling, she spans around to look. Standing there half in the shadow, half in the moonlight. As if he owned it, as if he were part of it._

 _Was Batman._

" _Thanks for coming," Barbara's voice knocked Laurel out of her staring, as the redhead wheeled herself forward._

" _This needed to be done," Batman replied, his icy blue eyes flicked over Laurel as if he was scanning her, accessing her. "You're Black Canary."_

 _She wasn't going to tell anyone what his rumbling voice was doing to her. But it was as if she could feel its vibrations deep in her chest._

" _That's right." She replied. Recalling her self-assurance and confidence, she gave Batman a massive smile. "Nice to meet you."_

 _###_

It was a beautiful night.

She had felt like a walk, and she had no where else to be. Truthfully, she never had anywhere else to be. She wondered down the street at her own pace, hands tucked into her studded motorcycle jacket when a familiar sight brought her to a stop.

Roy Harper was walking towards her, still wearing the ridiculous red hoody he seemed to have been born in. It was funny that a few weeks ago that a similar moment had led to Harper chasing her down, and her leading him straight to Sara. She remembered her mysterious blonde friend pulling off her scary fear inducing questioning. Before having to run off and deal with her sister, whatever her name was, who had apparently had a run in with the Dollmaker.

"Hey Abercrombie," She called, watching as the pretty boy twisted his head to search for her. Before making his way over to her. It was funny how after that start, she would call the guy her friend. Him and his princess girlfriend, who Sin had been surprised to find, didn't have quite as big a stick shoved up her ass as Sin had thought she would have. What with being Starling royalty and all that.

"Sin," Roy greeted as he approached. He had the intense look on his face, that she'd seen him wear a few times now. Usually when things were involving the Arrow. She hoped that Roy wasn't still involved with the archer, that kind of thing was going to get him killed. And maybe her too, more importantly.

"Slumming it in the Glades?" Sin couldn't help the taunt. Hoping maybe to deflect the incoming questions.

"I had some questions about your blond friend in the mask," She should have known it wouldn't work. Roy's crusade to be the Arrow's pal, made the boy slightly hard headed.

Roy's statement was actually kind of amusing to her. She didn't fight the smile that spread across her face.

"Which one?" She asked, laughing.

"I'm being serious," Roy replied sharply, "This is important."

I am being serious, Sin thought to herself. Calling an image of Dinah to mind.

###

It didn't take much for Roy to get the message, that she wasn't going to talk about Sara or Dinah. She watched her tightly wound friend stalk off down the street, wondering briefly if the guy would ever calm down.

Her phone buzzing caught her attention, pulling it from her pocket she read the message.

 _ **Where are you? I need to talk to you.**_

She recognised the number from Dinah's new cell phone, and sent back a quick message. Dinah's reply was lighting quick.

 _ **Come meet me.**_

Sin frowned. The was something in the straight to point message that didn't read like the usual Dinah. But she turned and headed in the direction Dinah pointed her to anyway.

A large alley a few streets away, she found Dinah standing in the middle of it. The head to toe black outfit cutting an imposing figure in the dark. But it was her face that struck Sin as intense.

"Sara," Dinah said instead of a greeting, and Sin found herself blinking in confusion.

"What?"

"You said there was another me running around Starling," Dinah said her voice oddly flat. "It's Sara."

Sin didn't know what concerned her more. The fact the Dinah knew about her other masked blonde friend, or her reaction to it. She had always tried to keep the two of them separate, had never wanted to choose between her two heroes. It had only been first earned loyalty that had, her saying anything to Dinah in the first place.

"You know Sara," Sin's voice was barely a whisper, but Dinah apparently heard her. Her shoulders seemed to drop as the intensity drained out of her. For a moment she just looked sad.

"She's my sister."

"You're her sister?!" Sin exclaimed, whatever she had thought Dinah was going to say that hadn't been it. She remembered briefly Sara talking about her family. How they thought she was dead, how she couldn't find she was back. "You're the one that disappeared?"

"Disappeared," Dinah echoed in a somewhat numb sounding voice, before shaking her head with a humourless laugh. "I guess to her it would seem that way. She was dead, and I disappeared."

"D?" Sin questioned softly.

The masked woman shook her head again and crossed her arms across her chest.

"How did you meet her?" Dinah questioned softly.

###

 _It had been a stupid idea to go out that night. But it seemed better than hanging around a place where she was sure she wasn't wanted. She could have gone to see Dinah, she should have gone there. But she hadn't._

 _It had only been a little while since that Queen woman and her friends had dropped part of the city out from under people._

 _And the people left were angry._

 _The hooded archer had disappeared, Dinah had stepped in to help. But the gangs had taken over the streets._

 _What was left of the streets._

 _Puddles splashed under running feet, as rain fell in heavy sheets. Sin ran as fast as she could in the blinding rain. Her short hair plastered to her head, as icy water ran down the back of her jacket._

 _She looked over her shoulder trying to see through the heavy downpour, when she ran into something hard. She turned sharply gut clenching in fright, but not quickly enough as her hands where caught in a bruising grasp. She realised too late she hadn't been chased, but rather herded._

" _Hey dipshit let me go!" The shout came from her instinctively. Bravo even in the face of such bad odds. Not that it mattered, as the men around her just laughed it off._

 _Sin snarled and in a move Dinah had taught her. Managed to twist her arm free and nail the guy between the legs. He dropped with a cry and suddenly the men weren't laughing anymore. She turned to run again, when another man gave a cry of pain behind her. She turned back to watch a black clad woman working her way through the group of men. At first Sin had thought Dinah had come to her rescue, when she started noticing some differences between the two._

 _The woman was shorter. Her black suit was different, and her blonde hair now a tangle of wet clumps in the rain, was a wig. In her hand a metal staff whirled around her._

 _Finally, when the men were laid out groaning or unconscious around her, the masked woman turned to face Sin._

" _Are you alright?" The woman asked._

" _Yeah," Sin replied, before clearing her throat and trying again. "Yeah, I'm cool."_

 _The mystery woman gave her a small smile, but her blue eyes seemed to remain icy cold._

 _Sin told Dinah about the 'Other her' in Starling the next day. But it wasn't the last time she saw the woman. She spotted her in alley ways, and rooftops. She had a feeling that the woman was letting her see her. So, one day she approached her._

 _She introduced herself as Sara, and had even taken off her mask. She had come to Starling to check on her family after the Glades disaster. Her father, was apparently fine. Her sister however, was missing. Or at least she had been, when Sara had suddenly spotted her one day. But she still couldn't find her anywhere whenever she had looked for her._

 _Sara had by then become her friend, and she was here worried about her family. It didn't hurt in the meantime she put the world of hurt into would be rapists. So maybe Dinah would forgive her for not telling her about Sara._

 _###_

"I'm so sorry D," Sin said sadly, shoulders slumped. She felt dreadful about the whole thing. "I didn't realise that you too were related."

Laurel gave her a soft look, before reaching out to pull her into a hug. Whispering a quick "It's okay,"

"'Though truthfully I probably should have guessed." Sin joked, trying to lighten the mood. "Blonde hair masked crime fighters. Sounds like a family calling."

"Like you wouldn't believe." Dinah said with a cryptic smile. When suddenly her head turned, looking back to the end of the alley.

To were Roy Harper was standing there staring.

###

 _ **Gotham**_

" _I broke my phone," Laurel stated as she threw the broken remains of what had been her phone down on the table._

" _Again?!" Came the stunned exclamation from her friend, as she turned to face her. "That's like the second one."_

 _Laurel shrugged, pulling herself up to sit on the table. "Bad luck with phones I guess."_

" _Oh, by the way," Barbara said pointing across the clock tower base, "Something came for you."_

" _For me?" Laurel asked in a confused tone. Before dropping back to her feet and crossing the room. It was a large metal case, frowning she pulled it closer to herself before casting a look to Barbara. The redhead rolled her eyes._

" _It's fine," She said before turning back to her computer. "Open it,"_

 _She opened the heavy metal lid. Shock to find inside a suit much like her own, but different at the same time. The body suit was denser, she realised tapping a finger on the reinforced breastplate. The bottom half was skin tight light grey legging like pants, a black mesh weaving lined the top. It looked like fishnets, but it wasn't._

 _A small card was tucked into a pocket on the lid, pulling it free she held it up to read._

'Kevlar carbon fibre polymer mesh,' _It read under a stylized symbol of a Bat. 'Stronger than your last pair. It has the same design. It seems Wildcat's design had some advantages.'_

 _She wasn't sure what to remark on first. That Batman knew Wildcat, or that he was keeping her fishnet look. But at this point she was hardly surprised about things anymore._

" _By the way, this means he likes you." Barbara remarked as she wheeled herself over. Looking into the case. "Nice new look too."_

 _She reached out to tug on a brown lock of Laurel's hair. "Maybe we can do something about the wig now?"_

" _I'm not wearing a cowl." Laurel deadpanned crossing her arms over her chest._

" _Hey! Don't knock the cowl!" Barbara shot back crossing her own arms._

 _They stared each other down for a moment, before Barbara offered._

" _I'll make you an appointment at the hairdresser tomorrow?"_

" _Fine."_

 _###_

Roy's back slammed into the brick alley wall. But no one had pushed him into it, he had backed himself up. Away from the new masked vigilante in front of him.

"Who are you?" He demanded. His life before the hood had saved him, had been a meaningless path to nowhere. He knew now that he was meant to help the Arrow. The fact that more people seemed to be putting on masks just made it even clearer to him. If they could do it, why couldn't he.

"That's my line," The woman's distorted voice, washed over him filling him with even more purpose. He wanted to be one of these people, he needed to be.

"I was trying to find out about the other masked woman," Roy admitted seeing no sense lying to her. He shot a look at Sin, feeling a moment of Déjà vu. This wasn't so different from the last time he'd followed her, to find her with another blond in a mask.

"What's with you and masked women?" He called over to the girl, ignoring the glare she was sending him.

"Girls kick ass, what more do you need to now." She called back glaring, "You really have to stop following me Abercrombie."

"What do you want," The new masked figure asked.

"The man in the Hood saved my life!" Roy exclaimed, feeling if he could maybe just explain himself to one of these masks. They would listen and maybe even help him. "I need to help him, I'm meant to be helping him."

"Why," She tilted her head, as she scanned him. He bristled at her question, but at least she seemed more willing to talk then the others did.

"Because it's the right thing," He said softly, watching as she shifted slightly. His impatience got the better of him as he yelled out at her. "You can do this! Why can't I!? What so special about you? Why can you do this? And not me?"

###

Laurel had been on a roller-coaster of emotion all night.

The sight of Sara her still alive sister, had sent her rushing over what felt like a waterfall. Head first into the icy water below. Rushing currents pulling her this way and that, and every now and then she felt the sweet relief of air.

Relief that Sara was alive.

She couldn't judge Sin for keeping quiet about her sister. How was the girl to know that the other masked woman was Laurel's own sister returned from the dead.

She'd yet to find her feet over this shock. When Sara had been lost, the pain and grief had sent her fleeing the city. It was only now with wounds partly closed that she had returned. Stronger and braver. Or she had liked to think.

One sight of her sister had sent her back to that sitting room, listening to Moira Queen destroy her life view.

This boy, no man, Roy however, had taken her by surprise. He'd pulled her free of her emotional shock, if only for a short while.

She'd met a few masks over the years. Each of them having their own reason for going out each night. 'Because it's the right thing' had to be one of the more pure ones she'd heard.

She gave him a small smile, and a gesture with her hand. "You don't have to explain yourself to me." She informed him, "If I could just offer some advice. Just be careful, and don't do anything stupid."

Roy gave a stunned nod, as if he was expecting to be shut down for even imagining he could be out on the streets helping.

Roy turned to leave. Shooting Sin a look and a pointed finger. "We're going to have a talk about this later."

"Whatever you say Abercrombie," Sin snorted at him, as the red hooded man turned and walked out the alley.

"You're not going to talk him out of it." Sin questioned, glancing up at her masked friend.

"He'll be out there doing it anyway." Laurel replied still watching Roy walk off. "I know that look in his eye."

A/N: Sooooooo I changed Black Canary's outfit so that it looks like fishnets but its not really fishnets. Basically Laurel was wearing the new suit all the time she was in Starling, but it looks like the old one. Just better made.

Plus Barbara really has something against wigs.

….

. . I was gone so long I forgot that I gave Laurel's phone number out. So broke said phone to keep the story going. Now Laurel has a tendency to break phones.

#bannedfromphones


	8. Chapter 8

**Canary Cry: Canary Fly**

 **Gotham**

 _It seemed who ever had designed Gotham had designed it with rooftop running in mind. The decorative gargoyles and eaves made the dash across buildings easier. There was a swooshing sound and a thump every time she cleared a ledge. Heavy duty boots splashed through puddles of melting ice and rain water. Before slamming to a stop at a raised edge of the building. She planted her hands and looked down. Spotting the man, she had been chasing land in the alley below._

 _He turned and pointed his hand gun back up at her. She ducked down just as he opened fire. She heard the bullets strike the side of the building before the sound of him running off._

" _Oracle!" She called even as she heaved herself up and jumped over the ledge._

" _Head left!" Her technical backup called back over their coms. "You can cut him off on Kane Street!"_

 _She followed Oracle's directions as the hacker navigated her way with street camera's, until the thug turned a corner right into Black Canary's fist. The man went down hard, moaning and grunting something about her being a 'bitch'._

" _Yeah, yeah," She said, as she flipped him over and zip tied his hands together. "You're mad, the police are mad, the person you stole from is mad." She flipped him back over and smirked at him._

 _She stood up and stepped away from him, dusting her hands._

" _What about you?" Oracle asked curiously._

" _I need a good night sleep," Black Canary muttered, before snorting quietly. "This City is mad."_

" _Welcome to Gotham." Oracle sung back._

" _What the hell is that?" The question came from below her, as the zip tied man twisted his head to look down the alley besides them. Taken back by his sudden normal sounding comment. Black Canary didn't even think as she turned to follow his gaze._

 _She froze, ice flooding her veins._

" _Oracle," She managed through numb feeling lips. "I'm gonna need some help here."_

 _She looked down and around the street, trying to spot anything out of sorts. But even as she looked, she could still see the blood covered bodies._

 _###_

He should have learnt by now that life was unpredictable. Ever since the Queen's Gambit had gone down, it felt as if the world around him continued to heave and roll underneath him. Just as the doom ship had. Attempting to throw him off his feet. And just when he thought he had the rhythm down, every now and then a massive wave would come rushing in. Seeking to try and pull him out to sea.

Sara.

He could still see her as clear as day. Laying there on the floor of his families sinking ship, dazed and confused. Calling his name just as the water swept in to take her away.

" _Ollie_ "

"Oliver…" Felicity's voice cut through his memories slowly. It was clear she'd been calling his name for some time now. "Oliver can you hear me?"

"I read you," He replied, shaking off the lingering hold of memories.

"Oh…. good." She returned shortly. Her tone had been cold with him for a while now. Since Sara's appearance and his having to explain to her and Dig, that he had been lying to them. She was disappointed with him. Not that it surprised him, a lot of people were. What did surprise him, was that she hadn't seemed to be expecting it.

He leapt onto the buildings ledge, shifting his grip on his bow before asking.

"What is it?"

###

It turned out that a gang had decided that tonight was a good night to terrorize the streets of the Glades. The archer couldn't fault their timing, he really did need something to hit. Also, there was a chance that Sara might show up. He could kill two birds with one stone.

He stepped off his bike and swung his bow in position almost in one motion. His arrow notched and ready to fire. But the sight in front of him made him freeze.

There had been a gang on the streets, but no longer it seemed as they all lay around him unconscious or dazed. But The Hoods attention was focused on the person responsible. He had managed to find a blond woman in a mask. It was just the wrong one.

Black Canary turned to look at him over her shoulder. Red lips lifting in a smile, as if she was happy to see him, or maybe she was just mocking him.

"Gonna try and shoot me in the shoulder again?" She asked, an echo of their first meeting. It was then Oliver realised that he still had his arrow notched. He released his hold on the string but made no move to return the arrow to his quiver.

"What are you doing here?" He growled out.

She made a gesture around her, "What does it look like?"

"I could have handled it," He told her.

"We seriously gonna do this again?" Her tone was light almost joking, but there was a definite hard edge to it. She shrugged after a moment and said simply. "I was here first."

Frustration, so powerful and heavy it burned, flooded through him. Making his teeth clench and his grip of his bow tighten, causing the leather to creak under the strain. As if the situation with Sara wasn't bad enough, Oliver had no idea what to make of this other masked woman. This newcomer that had stepped in his city and onto his streets, who would not listen to him when he tried to warn her off.

"I… was here first. "He growled back, instantly feeling like a ten-year-old. But it was a point he had to make. He'd been doing this longer than her, and he knew the kind of price it entailed.

To his surprise she looked more amused then anything. "Do you mean Starling?" She asked, before reaching up to tap the side of her mask. "Or this?"

She shrugged before looking around at the city. Her face looking almost soft. "Starling is my home. I grew up here." She admitted as small smile crossing her face. "As for the mask…. Well I'm pretty sure there's more history behind it then even you're aware of."

"I mean you're not even wearing a mask," She continued, leaning forward to see under his hood, he shifted to block her view. She didn't seem to mind however. "Is that grease?"

He didn't reply, a moment of silence settled over the two of them. Black Canary finally gave a sigh and looked him straight on.

"Look you have to understand something," She stated, shifting to cross her arms. "I'm not going anywhere. And I'm going to continue to help this city whatever way I can. The way I see it, you can either let me help. Or get out of my way."

It sounded to him like the statement was part challenge, part truce.

He respected her for that, as much as he wanted to grab her arm and physically march her home. He opened his mouth to tell her just that when he stopped himself. What would he do if the situations had been reversed? Had she been the one telling him to go home? He would have ignored her and brushed her off as an unknowing upstart. Just as he was doing to her now.

He remembered Felicity mentioning that Black Canary had been spotted in multiple cities for a while now. That as her earlier comment made it sound as if she'd been wearing that mask for longer then him. Figuratively speaking he thought, feeling his skin twitch under the spear of grease around his eyes.

Still she was an unknown. And a threat, he admitted grudgingly. A stranger that made his paranoia run rampart through him. But at the same time, he felt a cautious feeling of hope. That maybe he wasn't alone in the fight for his city. For years since the accident, he'd learned the horrible truth of what humans could do to other humans. But he'd also learned that you could find help in the unlikeliest of places.

He still wasn't sure he would trust her, he wasn't sure if he could fully trust anyone. He'd been betrayed, had lost friends, and had made unlikely allies.

Sara's face flashed through his mind, and for a moment he felt sick. He needed to find her, he needed to find out if she was alright. Where she had been all these years. The guilt for the situation he had put her into, had been eating away at him. Since the ocean had tried to take her, and then seeing her cold, dirty and shaking on The Amazo. Terrified and lost.

His fault.

The deep pit of guilt and pain was an easy one for him to fall into. So easy that he almost missed the movement behind. Almost missed, but someone else reacted before him. The spray-painted wall had covered a back-alley doorway. That metal door crashed open, as a large man came through. He spotted the hooded vigilante and pulled out his gun.

Black Canary crossed the distance between them, before Oliver could even finish reaching for an arrow.

She reached out, grabbing hold of the gun aimed at him. Twisting the gangster's arms sharply and elbowing him in the face. A instant kick to the knee, had his legs crumbling underneath him before she finished him off with a swift kick that knocked him tumbling onto the ground and out like a light.

The sharp sound of metal, and whistle of an arrow. Made her turn, just in time to see the archer fire an arrow at a man behind her. A previously knocked out gangster who had been raising a gun at her back. The arrow split apart mid-air, casting a wire that wrapped around the gunman before pinning him back to the ground.

Black Canary turned her head looking back at the pinned cursing man then back to Oliver. She gave him a tiny nod.

"Thanks."

"You too," He replied, spinning his bow from it's firing position into a more relaxed hold.

"This city is dangerous," Oliver informed her, swallowing all other feeling of pride and paranoia. "Be careful."

"Oh, I can handle myself," Black Canary replied sending him a smirk, as she turned to walk away she called back. "See you around Robin Hood."

###

 **Gotham**

 _Blue and red lights flashed brightly in the darkness. But the ringing sirens had long since faded. Black Canary stood on the rooftop, obscured from view by the steam of the heating system, watching the leather clad GCPD officers below. Her earlier catch had been hauled cursing into the back of a police car._

 _As another unmarked police car pulled up, and two men climbed out. One short and squat, with a dark frown seemingly tattooed on his face. The other taller and older, his hair and white matching his moustache._

" _Commissioner Gordan," A deep voice behind her identified the new face. Black Canary was proud to admit she didn't jump at the sudden sound. Her heart however wasn't so lucky._

 _She turned her head to see her visitor._

 _Standing further back across the roof, looking every bit as intimating as when she first saw him was Batman. She turned back to the scene before them, telling herself that she wasn't nervous about his appearance. Below she watched a body bag being loaded into the back of a van, and suddenly she didn't care. She had other things to worry about._

" _Your first murder?" He actually sounded curious. At least she thought he did, underneath that deep tone._

" _I'm not a detective." She said flatly, "I usually prefer to get to people before people die."_

" _Then we have to find who is responsible," He said simply, and Black Canary turned to look at him in shock. But his cowled face gave absolutely nothing away._

 _She wondered briefly if he was testing her. Or if he knew she wasn't going to let this go._

 _Batman stepped back, before disappearing off the edge of the building._

 _She watched as Gordan broke off from the group to approach the shadows. Moving to talk to Batman, as the cops continued to work around them._

 _For a moment Laurel was struck just by how she really missed her father._

 _###_

It was early morning when he returned to Verdant. Dig and Felicity had long since gone home. He pulled off his hood and clipped his bow into its stand. Before hitting the cot out the back for a few hours' sleep.

He was in a surprisingly better mood, when he woke the next morning. The whole thing with Black Canary had been causing a great deal of tension. She an unknown potential threat, had been running around unchecked in his city. But last night, she hadn't even stopped to think when she stepped in to save him.

He wasn't about to invite her down to his lair any time soon. But all evidence pointed to her, not being the bad guy here.

One less worry that he had eating away at him. But still it offered much needed relief.

He left the basement and went to make his way through the club. When a faint sound caused him to freeze in his tracks.

There was someone in the club.

He slowed his breathing and moved as quietly as possible edging around the corner to get a look at the intruder.

His breath caught, and his stomach jumped into his chest. Sara, was standing in the middle of the empty dance floor, dressed in simple jeans and shirt. Her golden blond hair free from the pale wig, and no mask on her face.

No physical one that was. Her expression was bland, hiding any thoughts or feeling going on inside her.

"Sara," He was surprised that he managed to get her name out. Shock tightening his throat to the point he felt like he was choking.

"Ollie," She replied her voice even and as bland as her face.

"I was looking for you," He admitted taking a step closer, but stop as her face harden. "Sara where were you."

"I need to know," She said instead of an answer. "Have you told my family I'm here?"

###

He managed to talk her into coming back to the mansion with him. Thea had started spending most of her time with her boyfriend Roy. His Mother had turned her efforts to enjoying her newfound freedom. With Queen Consolidated already back in the green, due to his own efforts. Moira Queen was off trying to capitalise on that. Trips to Gotham's Wayne Enterprises, and Metropolis's Lexcorp were getting increasingly common.

That left the large place was almost hauntingly empty. So, it was the best place he could think of to talk. A place she was comfortable enough to be, without the fear of being discovered.

By who and why. Oliver didn't know. But still even in the quiet empty mansion she still didn't relax. She kept looking around, her arms hugged against herself. Clearly uncomfortable and still so closed off.

"Don't worry about anyone find out that your back," He told her, attempting to break through the ice she had around her.

"Thanks for understanding." She replied, a small smile gracing her lips.

"I don't understand," He replied with a sigh. "Not a day goes by that your family doesn't miss you."

"Yeah," She gave an unamused soft snort, "How do you know."

"Because I missed you." He revealed.

"They probably won't be as happy to see me as you think." She looked away, starting to look uncomfortable with the whole conversation.

"How can you say that?" He asked, shocked that she would even think that.

"What's happened to Laurel?" Sara asked suddenly, causing Oliver to blink at the sudden change in the conversation.

"What do you mean?" He asked frowning. Concerned that she might have noticed something wrong with Laurel.

"I couldn't find her," Sara admitted. "After the Glades I came looking….to see if she was alright. But I couldn't find her. She's not listed anywhere. I found her one night in a hotel but nothing else."

"Yeah, that was weird." Oliver muttered, thinking about the night they tried to find Laurel when they'd worked out Sara was following her. It had been strange timing.

"I saw her at Dad's precinct." Sara continued. "She looks different. Good, very good but different."

"Losing you was hard on her," Oliver said in his most comforting tone. "She went through a lot. I'm not surprised that it changed her."

"I wasn't sure if you and she ever got back together," Sara said leaning her head against the doorframe.

"I…." Oliver had to look away. "We haven't really had a chance to try. We've talked about things…."

"It's okay," Sara interrupted "You don't have to explain it to me."

###

 **Gotham**

" _Someone wants to talk to you," Barbara called from her computer the moment Black Canary walked into the ClockTower._

" _What?" Laurel replied feeling confused. The red head just sent her a smirk and point up towards the roof._

 _Laurel glanced that way and back to her friend, confusion growing. She had gotten the meaning, but she couldn't figure out the why._

" _I thought you said something about him respecting space. Or something like that," She said wondering. They had moved to a completely different rooftop the last time he wanted to chat._

" _I wish," Barbara laughed, sounding vaguely amused. "That was more for you last time. Most of the time, he doesn't really care."_

" _Great," She muttered, wondering if they were going to keep changing the rules on her. Only to have Barbara laugh at her with a flick of a hand. Gesturing for her to get going._

" _This is a weird night," she muttered, moving up a stairwell and onto the small rooftop of Gotham's clock tower._

 _The roof was dark and cold, but the view was magnificent. It also looked completely empty._

" _So, I never got to thank you for the suit," She said into the darkness, refusing to be intimated by the man's lurking._

" _It was nothing," His voice came from her left, and she fought the urge to jump. She seriously did, she wasn't sure she was successful. "Wildcat speaks well of you. So, does Zatanna."_

 _She turned to look at him, slightly shocked by the name drops. How closely related were these masks? She wondered._

" _I thought you would want to know the details of tonight's case," He informed her crossing over the stand before her. She marvelled slightly at how silently he moved, and how much he towered over her._

" _Right," She replied simply._

" _It started as a shootout between two crime families." Batman explained, his smooth deep voice had no inflection or emotion just simple facts._

" _What do you mean started?" Black Canary questioned, frowning surely it started and finished as a shoot-out._

" _The survivors were attacked by someone else." He replied._

" _Who?" She asked wondering briefly what other problem had her night produced,_

" _Unknown," Batman replied, reaching into his belt to pull an evidence bag. "They left this behind."_

 _It was a black and purple crossbow bolt._

 _###_

He found Sara in the mansion foyer looking at the photo's lined along the table.

"Thanks for not telling anyone I'm here," She said as he approached, giving him a sad little smile.

"I know something about keeping secrets," He replied making an amused sound. "Even if I don't understand it."

And he didn't understand it. Why was she fighting so hard to stay away, when it was clear that she missed her family as much as they missed her.

"Sara, is it because of what happened on the island?" He asked, fighting to push the surge of guilt back down.

"No," She bit back at him, clenching her teeth as if struggling with herself. Whether to tell him or hold it to herself. "After."

She pulled away looking ready to cry or throw up. "There were things that I did, things that I had to do to survive. Things that there's no forgiveness for."

"Well that's the thing about forgiveness." Oliver said, even as he felt like a massive hypocrite for saying it. "You can't get it until you ask for it."

She pulled away, and he hated himself for bringing it up. But he had to know.

"Sara does this have anything to do with the League of Assassins?" Oliver asked stunned when she spun around to give him a look full of shock and fear.

"How did you…."

Just then the massive stain glass window over the door, exploded as a dark clad body jumped through it.

The next thing they both knew they were in a fight for their life. The black clad assassin's sword swiping through the air between the two of them as they sort to tag team him. Basic house objects became impromptu weapons, as they fought from room to room.

While Sara lay stunned from a particularly vicious kick, Oliver managed to flip the swordsman into a wooden coffee table. Before throwing the dazed man onto the ground. He reached forward to rip off the man's black hood.

"Who are you!" Oliver demanded. "Why are you dress like Malcom Merlyn!"

"I am just a warrior," The older man slurred, before casting Oliver a taunting look. "Like you."

"What is the League doing in Starling!" Oliver yelled, ignoring the surprised look the assassin shot him. "What do you want!"

The sudden flash bomb was surprising and completely unexpected, sending Oliver stumbling back. When he regained his senses, he realised the assassin was gone.

A/N: Some conversations taken from Season 2-episode 'League of Assassins.' Don't worry I'm not going to copy the episode, I just need that Oliver/Sara stuff out of the way.

I'm trying to keep Oliver balanced. He has been through Hell. He has learnt over the years the best person to relay on is himself. But he never really was completely alone all the time. He had allies that he teamed up on the island and off. The fact that he let Dig in and Felicity says that he's not completely closed off.

So, trying to balance someone who; Is a loner that is open to help but only on his terms, that's full of survivor guilt. With a grim outlook, but with a streak of optimist, but a dash of realist…. yeah not fun.

P.S I got the urge to write from the funniest source. I was playing DCU online and was helping the Joker steal tech from Mr. Freeze. When I hear a female voice say, "Come here and I'll sing you to sleep." I turn around to realise that Black Canary is just behind me. So, I fly out off there like a purple and black chicken. But as I do I see Green Arrow was following after her, and all I could think was "Awww they even put them together in the game". Then I got swarmed by GCPD officers.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimed. I don't own Arrow or anything DC related. Not claiming to own, nor making any money from this.

Canary Cry. Canary Fly

Laurel closed the door to her shed home and stepped into the quiet dark room. Exhaustion soaked into her very bones, making her arms heavy and her head spin. She couldn't remember the last time that she had slept. She had been too busy too. All the searching, the complete scouring of the city.

Looking for Sara.

But her sister was very good at staying hidden. Frustration burst out of her as she tore off her gloves and threw them at the wall. The thump the reinforced leather made when it connected to the wall, did little to make her feel better. She reached up and pulled off her mask, before staring down at it with a blank face. A far cry from the smiling, teasing face she'd shown the hooded vigilante earlier.

She might have been out looking for Sara, that didn't mean she was going to ignore someone needing help when she came across it. But despite her reservations against the archer, she was happy to see he too was there helping people. He was different from what she had expected, different from what the other masks had assumed.

He hadn't made himself out to be some judge, jury and executioner. He was something else altogether. She had found she got a slight enjoyment of teasing him, of shaking up his own assumptions. And from what she could tell he had a lot.

Running into him had seemed like a bright spot of her night.

But _Sara_. Laurel heaved a deep breath, swallowing a few tears and the urge to burst into torrents of them.

"Are you alright?" A woman's voice suddenly asked, as the overhead light flicked on. The surprise of not being alone and the sudden light cause Laurel to jump. She spun around cursing herself for being taken by surprise. Ted would have her head, not to mention…. "Mom?!"

Dinah Drake gave her a soft smile and crossed the room pulling her daughter into a much needed hug.

"Mom I'm sorry," Laurel said muffled into her mother's shoulder, the other woman shushed her while reaching up to stroke her hair. Laurel finally gave into tears, " _Sara_."

"I know," And the other woman probably did know. Be it from Ted, or Oracle. Or she could have just hacked Laurel's comms for herself. Dinah Drake's voice was heavy with its own emotions, but still so comforting. Laurel didn't want comforting. She pushed back from the hug to stare at her mother with streaming eyes.

"The League of Assassin's." She didn't quite yell it, but the name seemed to linger in the air. They both knew what it meant, either from meeting the League themselves or someone else who had survived an encounter. There was enough pain and blood drenched into the words meaning that Dinah's flinch was obvious. Her face stilled and her jaw set as she repeated her earlier. "I know."

Though the women's time as Black Canary had been years ago, she still carried its vestige with her straight back and resolved face.

"I know," she said again.

#SC#

 **Gotham**

 _ **The ClockTower**_

 _Laurel sat perched on the edge of a desk as Barbara ran the crossbow bolt through what seemed like endless tests. The young red head seemed in the zone, as she moved from computer monitor to computer monitor. The only sound in the Clock Tower was the relentless clicking keys._

 _She crossed her arms across her chests and resisted the urge to bounce her heel. Turning to look out of the corner of her eye. Standing there looking more statue like then the gargoyles that decorated the outside of the tower. Was Batman._

 _His face, what was visible under the cowl was blank. As if the endless quiet and waiting didn't seem to affect him at all. She forced her leg to stop bouncing and after a moment thought, uncrossed her arms._

" _So…." She started only to pause when Batman's icy blue eyes flicked to her. She took a breath and told herself that she wasn't nervous about his inhuman icy death eyes, plus she was really curious about something. "Those guys you were fighting… The League of Assassin's. What's their deal?"_

" _Their deal is that they're a centuries old organisation of Assassin's under the leadership of_ _Ra's al Ghul," Laurel's surprise of getting an answer didn't last long, as she focus on what the answer was. "They aren't just assassin's 'though. They believe it is their duty to bring about reformation of decadent civilizations around the globe."_

" _Reformation?" Laurel echoed blankly._

" _They wipe out cities they believe have fallen," Batman replied._

" _Surely people would have noticed…." She trailed off, wondering to herself if she believed her own words. The world seemed to keep getting stranger on her._

" _They've done it before," Batman answered simply, confirming her thoughts._

" _Guys," Barbara called over her shoulder. "Results are back. Not so much on the good news 'though. Crossbow bolt was mass produced, stolen from a sporting goods store."_

" _Ok," Laurel said getting up to walk over to the monitors. She heard Batman following behind her and resisted the urge to look. "Any good news there?"_

" _I'm picking up trace particles on the bolt," Barbara responded pointing to a graph on one of her monitors. "It's a chemical used by Ace chemicals, now Ace stopped using this a few years ago. But they obviously still have some in storage."_

" _In the old Ace chemical storage warehouses," Batman completed, just as a city appeared over on one of monitors. A red mark on one of the buildings. Barbara tapped it with a satisfied motion. "Bingo."_

 _Batman turned sharply and strode from the room._

" _Wait! I'm coming with you." Laurel called moving after him, Batman stopped to look at her over his shoulder. "I found those bodies…. I need to go with you."_

 _He didn't reply just continued to look at her, before turning to exit the tower. Laurel stared after him._

" _You better hurry," Barbara remarked behind her. "Before he leaves without you."_

 _#SC#_

"I remember the first time I saw this hood." Sara stepped back from the cabinet he had his suit stored in. "Shado was wearing it." She gave the base a look around before giving a small smile with no real emotion behind it. "This is quite the set-up that you got here. Where you're launching your one man war for starling."

"I'm not one man." Oliver replied just as Diggle and Felicity walked in. "These are my friends. This is John Diggle and Felicity Smoak. Guys. This is Sara."

"We just had an uninvited guest in the Queen mansion." Oliver informed his friends. "Trained. Highly skilled. I'm betting League of Assassin's."

The look Sara gave him was part horror part panic.

"Now…. putting aside why the League of Assassin's agent was dressed like Malcolm Merlyn." Oliver continued with a grimace a because he really was curious as to why that was. "I would like to know why they are after you."

"He's called Al Owal," Sara answered after a moment, looking down because she couldn't say this while looking him in the eyes. "The First. I tried to tell you, Ollie, but you wouldn't listen."

"That's where you've been….That's where you learned to fight." Oliver realised taking a step back from her. He stared at her in shock before he breathed out finally "You're one of them."

"After…. after the island…. a member of the league rescued me." Sara replied as if some dam in her had burst. "They took me in and brought me to Nanda Parbatt. They remade me into what I am. And I swore them my allegiance. But I left. And there's only one way that you leave the league. But I…I couldn't…I'm a murderer, Ollie."

"Black Canary knew about the League of Assassin's," Dig spoke up after a moments quiet.

"The League knew about her," Sara replied suddenly more subdued and more willing than ever just to tell them everything she knew. "They had some run ins with her, and someone they called _**him.**_ "

"Him?" Oliver echoed with a frown. Sara shrugged in reply.

"I only heard stories," She looked confused for a second. "They defeated a team sent into Gotham. That's almost unheard of, but what was really strange was that the team…they pulled back. The League didn't go after them."

"Something else we don't know about that woman," Oliver muttered sharing a look with Diggle.

"Felicity," Oliver said redirecting the conversation. "I need you to find this Al Owal."

"What?" Felicity replied with a confused look on her face. "How?!"

Her confusion grew as Oliver placed a small bag of dirt on her desk. "Gee, Thanks. I always wanted a bag of dirt."

"I found it in the house. I want you to analyze it." Oliver ordered before turning to the others. "Hopefully it'll lead me right to him. Maybe…maybe we can find Black Canary. Maybe she knows something that will make the League back off."

#SC#

Felicity did what Felicity did best. She found the Assassin. In dark a factory Oliver and Sara clashed with the forces of Nanda Parbatt and lost. They had been forced to retreat but Al Owal's threat to Sara's family chased after them.

In the lair where they licked their wounds, they made plans to get Quentin to safety.

"Please don't tell him anything about me," Sara pleaded to Felicity as the blond tech left to warn her father.

"I can keep a secret," Felicity replied with a comforting smile.

"What about Laurel," Sara asked, turning a desperate look to Oliver. "I couldn't find her. I have no idea where…"

"I have her number," Oliver cut her off reassuringly, "I'll call her."

#SC#

It had been a trying day for them both. But having her Mother around had helped her deal with a lot of the stress. Despite Dinah Drake's own emotional upheaval about her youngest daughter and learning of her involvement in such a dangerous organisation. Her past combat knowledge and street smarts had helped strip everything past the painful emotions and back down to the basic facts.

"The League is ruthless," Dinah stated the well-known fact, "If they can't get to their target, with given how hard it is to find Sara. Might be a possibility. They will go after anyone close to them, to try to draw them out."

"By going after their families," Laurel said completing the thought. "You, me and …. Dad."

"Your father is an obvious target," Dinah replied softly, her blue eyes full of worry for the man that had been her husband. "A public figure. Easy to find."

"We have to do something," Laurel cried surging to her feet. Fear for her father and determination fuelling her haste. She pulled out her Black Canary outfit and was working to put it on when her phone rang.

"Hello," She answered, while pulling the pieces of her suit on.

"Laurel hey," A familiar voice greeted over the phone. Any other time, she would have been happy to speak with him. Full of joy that he had called her. But right now, all she could focus on was getting to her father.

"Ollie hi," She replied, or tried to as it came out muffled through the gloves held between her teeth. She finished adjusting her suit and pulled the glove free before trying again. "Hi…. sorry, you just called at a really bad time. I'm just about to run out the door."

"Oh," The disappointment in his voice cut through her more then she thought it would. "I was just wondering if you want to grab some dinner or something."

"I would love to go to dinner with you Ollie," she replied surprising herself with how much she was actually happy that he asked. "But I can't tonight."

"Oh…. are you sure we can't meet up later?" He tried again, and Laurel found herself frowning. There was something in his tone, with the way he was pushing. But she didn't have time to analyse it now, not with an Assassin after her father and her sister.

"Sorry Ollie," She replied, moving her thumb to the end call button. "Maybe another time. Gotta go, bye."

"Wait…." Whatever else Ollie was going to was lost when the call ended. Laurel frowned down at the device, "That was weird."

"What was?" Dinah asked, even as she made herself at home at Laurel little computer set up.

"Nothing," Laurel said brushing it off, and moving towards the door. "I'll call him back later."

#SC#

Oliver threw his phone down on the table and slumped forward resting against the shiny metal surface.

"Now what?" Dig questioned crossing his arms.

"I really need to find out where Laurel is staying," Oliver muttered. "She checked out of that hotel room and disappeared again."

"Well lets just hope that if we can't find her neither can the League," Dig said ever the practical thinker.

"I don't remember Laurel being this elusive," Oliver said wonderingly.

"It's been five years Oliver," Diggle replied with a shrug. "A lot could have happened in five years."

#SC#

 **Gotham**

 _The streets of Gotham flashed by in a dark shaded blur, as the Batmobile tore down the streets. Laurel refused to admit that her nails were digging into the leather seats, telling herself that in the dark interior no one could tell anyway._

 _The ride was smoother than any car she had been in. She had barely felt the initial acceleration, save for when he really decided to floor it, it was the same for the deceleration as they glided to a stop. The dark glass canopy slid back and the two climbed out._

 _Batman disappeared to the roof, to follow his usual entry style. While Black Canary found an old ground level door. She got the door open easy enough, and quietly made her way into the building. Ace Chemical had used this building as a storage facility, leaving large vats of questionable contents sprawled around the massive building._

 _She made her way through the dark building that had obviously not seen any human visitors in what had to be years. When a source of light in the distance caught her attention. She stealthily made her way over, pausing at her last piece of cover, an old metal vat, and peaked around the edge._

 _It seemed the building did have some life left in it. At least in a little corner of it. A computer was set up on an old table, with another bench covered with crossbows and bolts. A small cot of to the side. Movement came from the corner of her eye, and she moved out of the way just in time to dodge a knife._

 _She spun around, dropping to a fighting stance. As the woman across from her moved into her own. She was dressed in purple and black with a long black leather duster, her hair was long and dark. But what surprised Laurel most was the mask she wore._

 _The woman gave a ferocious yell and came in slashing with her knife. Black Canary knocked the swipe aside, before blocking the woman's punch and kick. She was good, Laurel thought grabbing hold of the woman's arm and tried to disarm her. She was forced to block a hand full of blows, before the woman grabbed her own hand and tried to force the knife down into Laurel's leg. Black Canary turned sharply and elbowed the dark-haired woman in the face._

 _The knife dropped, and the woman went sprawling. She recovered quickly enough, flipping to her feet and produced a small crossbow. But before she could even aim it however it was knocked from her hands by a black batarang._

" _Enough," Batman stated as he appeared from the shadows. He stared down at the dark hair woman before identifying her. "Helena Bertinelli. AKA. The Huntress." He stepped in close enough to loom over her._

" _We need to talk."_

 _#SC#_

Felicity's task to get Quentin to safety backfired, when she became unable to explain exactly how she knew he had to get to safety.

It was then in the dark street that Sara revealed herself to her father.

In a small Chinese restaurant Sara's almost natural use of Chinese caught her father's attention.

"You speak Chinese now?"

"Picked up a couple things in the past few years." Sara smile was less amused and more painful.

"Yeah. I guess," The pain Quentin was feeling was evident in his voice. "Why didn't you let us know that you were alive? I mean, your mother and I… we missed you."

"I know you got divorced." Was Sara's mumbled reply.

"Yeah. But it wasn't your fault." Quentin replied quickly. "That was on me… Because of me. A lot… a lots changed, I guess."

"Like Laurel?" Sara asked softly.

"I don't…." Quentin couldn't finish the sentence because he really didn't know what to say or do about his eldest daughter. "She took your death hard…. yours and Queens."

The fact he said the last name through clenched teeth wasn't lost on Sara. Bringing back memories of Laurel and Oliver, and of her and Oliver. Of them running off together, that started this whole thing.

"I'm sorry." She muttered.

"It's all right. Honey, it's Ok," Quentin said putting a hand on Sara's shoulder, trying to ignore the way his baby stiffened at the gesture. "None of that matters now. You know why? 'Cause you're home, sweetie, you're home."

She started shaking her head, and he finally truly looked at her. The way she sat, always watching the people around her. Her eyes on the doors, front and back.

"You're in trouble aren't you… You are. You sent Felicity Smoak to warn me to leave town." He'd been a cop for long enough to learn how to read people. He knew he was right. "Which means…You know the Arrow. You're one of those girls wearing the masks. You've been kicking the crap out of creeps in the Glades. You've been home for weeks."

"Dad," Sara gasped as she turned to him with pain filled eyes.

"Which one? Huh?" Quentin said, because if he knew this much he might as well know it all. "Black Canary?"

"No," Sara admitted, before snorting to herself.

"What so funny," Quentin demanded, because he failed to see anything funny about this whole thing.

"Where I was…." Sara started before wetting her lips with her tongue, "They called me Canary."

"Where were you?" Quentin asked, trying to keep the desperation for answers out of his voice.

Sara stood up, "We can't stay here," She stated, "Plus it's a …. long story."

#SC#

For all her rush to get to her father, she couldn't find him.

He'd left the precinct on time from what she could tell. So, he wasn't at work, he also wasn't at home. She knew, she'd searched the building from top to bottom. Before standing on the roof top and searching the area around.

He was nowhere to be seen.

Her jaw worked, as her breathing picked up. Eyes darting around, as her hands clenched and unclenched. Before the building panic and anger got to much for her, and she released it all into the sky in the form of a canary cry.

The scream missed the building thankfully, but a nearby water tower wasn't so lucky. The metal exploded, spending water flying that too, was scattering outward with the sonic cry. She watched the destruction with tear filled eyes, as she heaved in deep breaths through clenched teeth.

"Hey, calm down," The voice in her ear was comforting, even with its reprimanding tone.

"Oracle….my Dad," Black Canary's voice was flat, a far cry from the emotions swirling inside her.

"It's alright," Oracle's voice was soothing, as she did her best to comfort her friend despite the physical distance between the two. "We'll find him."

#SC#

It was morning by the time they got a sight of Quentin.

Black Canary had all but torn the city apart in her search for her father. She gone through old gang bases, questioned street thugs, even sent Sin and her street friends out searching for answers. All the while, Oracle ran searches on camera's and police reports.

But there was no sign of her father, or Sara for that matter. She wondered briefly if maybe the two were linked, then promptly decided it didn't matter. She wasn't going to rest until she saw her father for herself.

Which was why after Oracle informed Laurel that Quentin Lance had appeared at work, she rushed over the precinct to see for herself.

"Dad," She cried and all but threw herself into his arms.

"Sweetheart," Quentin gasped in surprised, but returned her hug never the lest. Truthfully there seemed to be a touch of desperation in his embrace also.

"Dad?" She pushed aside her own worry about him and focused on his. "Did something happen? Are you ok?"

"One day, honey, when you have a daughter of your own." Quentin said pulling back to cup her cheek, "You'll understand that being a parent, it means you just never stop worrying about your children."

"Dad," she whispered frowning at her father's face, watching as his grisly features dropped in sadness. "Dad, what's wrong."

"I wish I could tell you," He muttered, before pulling her into another hug. "I wish I could tell you."

He was trying to protect her, she realised as she returned his hug. She wondered, what or who he thought he was protecting her from.

#SC#

 **Gotham**

" _It's not what you think," Helena or rather Huntress said from her place on the ground._

" _What that you didn't kill all those men," Black Canary replied stepping closer to Batman's side._

" _That's exactly what I'm saying," The dark-haired woman replied glaring back at her, "I've been set up."_

" _I'd be more willing to believe you if you hadn't already killed people," Batman replied flatly._

 _Huntress turned her glare from Black Canary to him. "I've been hunting my father, and the men loyal to him. They knew I was onto them. So, when I arrived to confront them, they pulled out crossbows like mine and started killing people. I got out, and then followed them."_

" _It's a trap." Black Canary realised glancing around the suddenly too spacious warehouse. She realised something and turned back to the other woman. "And you came anyway?"_

" _My best chance of getting at them," Helena gave them a hunter's smile._

" _You're not killing anyone tonight," Batman ordered his voice tight and deeper than normal._

" _The hell I…." Huntress snarled back before shaking her head, "You're not the boss of me."_

 _Just then there was a burst of noise and activity as groups of men with weapons stormed into the building yelling, with guns aimed at the three of them._

 _Batman simple reply was all she heard before the night erupted into chaos._

" _Tonight I am."  
_ _  
_

A/N: Sorry for the wait. But hey I finally got Batman, Huntress and Black Canary in a room together. 'yay' right.

Quentin went with Sara back to the tower, they had a run in with the League. It happened exactly the same as in the episode. S2e5 League of Assassins. There was no new info about Laurel, so I didn't feel the need to just rewrite the scene. Some dialogue taken or inspired from the episode which I do not own.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimed. I don't own Arrow or anything DC related. Not claiming to own, nor making any money from this.

Canary Cry. Canary Fly

Chapter 10.

Her mother always had a knack for appearing just when she needed her most. Giving her some much needed advice and pointing her in the right direction. She also had a habit of disappearing also when she needed her most. But Laurel wasn't going to focus on that. Dinah Drake's mere presence had managed to talk Laurel back from literally tearing the city apart in her search for Sara.

Kicking over rocks, in hopes one might be covering her long-lost sister was not the best search system. Neither was allowing the League of Assassin's the freedom move about unchecked in Starling. So, Laurel had Oracle running searches for any suspicious activity. As little as an ancient sect of assassins would show up on modern day sensors, Oracle had experience in dealing with them.

Sara herself however. It was obvious that she had been protecting her family. The night she had jumped down to fight the gang that had come after Oliver and Laurel. Also, when she'd come to check on Laurel in the hotel. Laurel was completely certain that something had happened to her father the other night. Quentin Lances disappearance and then sudden reappearance was suspect enough on its own. But Quentin's behavior the last time Laurel had seen him, really raised some flags. He was hiding something from her, while trying to protect her.

So that day Laurel decided she would go about her day, hopeful of the fact that maybe…maybe Sara was there with her. That maybe she would come forward to talk to her. She does however try and keep Ted's Gym out of anyone sights. She still hadn't found a place of her own, and truthfully, she was comfortable in the redesigned office to house.

She stopped by Verdant just before opening. She hadn't seen Thea in a while, after the whirl of Moira's trial.

The place as expected was completely empty, save for the young brunette leaning against the bar as she watched a wall mounted television.

" **Central City is just a day away from making history when the controversial S.T.A.R. Lab's particle accelerator is finally turned on**." The blond anchor spoke directly into the camera, behind her the massive structure of S.T.A.R labs.

"They've been playing the same article all day," Thea said, clicking the television off and turning to smile at Laurel before it turned into a grimace. "Big news and all that, but some of us have other things to worry about."

"Oh no," Laurel replied with a sympathetic wince, "What happened."

"Roy was arrested again," Thea explained, she added quickly when Laurel moved to offer help. "They let him go. Said he was in the wrong place, wrong time. Total B.S."

She sighed heavily, "His working with the vigilante. I know he is, the Hood guy. I love that he wants to help, but I just…."

"Worry," Laurel finished simply, as she slid into a nearby bar stool.

"Yeah," Thea replied with a forceful nod. "It's kind of dangerous. Plus, all those masked people running around. Not just the hooded archer guy, but apparently there's a couple of women too. I mean who knows what kind of people they are? They could be crazy, probably have to be crazy to do what they do."

"…Right," Laurel replied a heartbeat later. Half wanting to be offended on behalf of herself and all the other masks she knew. But on the other hand, she couldn't fault Thea on her assumption. What they did, did come across as crazy to some.

"Thea I was…." The familiar male voice caught both their attention and together they watched Oliver walk into the club. He paused at the sight of Laurel, before his surprise gave way to genuine happiness.

"Laurel," He greeted softly. "Hey."

"Hi Ollie," Laurel replied, sending her own warm smile back at him. "I was hoping I'd see you here."

"You were? Here?" There was something cautious in his voice, but she didn't focus on it.

"Yeah, I wanted to apologize about the other day?" Laurel explained remembering how she had brushed off his invite to go search for her father. As fruitless as that had been. "I was wondering if you wanted to go for a drink or grab something to eat?"

"That sounds great," Oliver replied, before shooting a look at Thea. "I actually have to go into Queen Consolidated today. It's Mom's first day back at the office. I was wondering if you wanted to come Thea."

"I'm completely fine with missing that," Thea said with a laugh, before giving Laurel a shrug. "The business really isn't for me."

Oliver nodded as if he had been expecting nothing else. He seemed to think about something for a moment before turning back to Laurel. "Do you want to come with me? I won't take too long hopefully, we can grab something after. Plus, I'm sure Mom would be happy to see you."

#SC#

It was strange walking into Queen Consolidated at Oliver's side. Meeting the blank face Moira Queen in the CEO office. It seemed like a flashback.

"Laurel," Moira greeted with a hug, and a quick kiss to the cheek. "So nice to see you."

There was warmth in her tone despite her blank face. But considering what the woman had been through, Laurel could understand her reserve.

Oliver placed a hand on her arm, as he moved to walk past. "I'll try not to be too long," He said and turned to lead his Mother into the boardroom. Voices greeted them, before the door shut and Laurel turned to find herself a seat.

Seconds later the doors opened again and out walked Oliver and a woman Laurel had never seen before. She shot Laurel a dismissive yet venomous look, that had Laurel arching a bemused eyebrow back at her.

"What sort of message does it send to the investment committee, to the city, if we hand Queen Consolidated right back to your mother?" The woman seemed to jump right into her reprimand, regardless of Laurels presence.

"She was acquitted." Oliver replied, casting a look at Laurel. A silent apology in his eyes, but he didn't seem all that surprised by the woman's opposition.

"By a jury." Came the strangers blank face replied. "Not by the city. Oliver you have been doing good work here. The company is making money. With you as CEO, think carefully before you bring your mother back in. Some people aren't as forgiving as you."

With a flick of long dark hair, the woman turned and walked back into the boardroom.

Oliver heaved a sigh and turned a sadly amused look at Laurel. "Sorry about that."

"It's fine." Laurel replied, reaching forward to run a hand down his arm. Feeling the warm, hard muscle under his suit jacket. "Are you alright?"

"I was kind of expecting that," Oliver admitted, "It's just going to take some time."

"So, I was wondering…." Whatever Oliver had been wondering was cut off by the arrival of John Diggle.

"Oliver," Said the man Oliver had introduced as his driver but was clearly much more than that. Laurel could read the obvious military training in his stance. "Sorry to interrupt."

"It's fine." Oliver replied before casting a confused look to the empty seat where his secretary would have been sitting. "Where's Felicity?"

"Oh. She's in the… labs." Dig cast a quick glance to Laurel before turning back to Oliver. "Apparently, she's come across some evidence of a hacker, looking in to Queen files." Laurel, who had been trying to seem noninvasive in an obvious serious moment, froze. Before telling herself to stop being silly, Queen Consolidated was a massive company. They must have fielded hackers all the time. Even if it was Oracle there was no way anyone could track her.

Right?

"Not sure what exactly they were looking for," Dig continued, unknowing of Laurels minor start. "But some of it has to do with the docks."

The Docks? Laurel inwardly sighed. Yes, that sounded like Oracles search. She had said she was some tracking ways into the city.

She wondered briefly at who this Felicity might be. She was clearly someone that Oliver had a lot of confidence in. Laurel had no worries about Oracles hacking abilities, not to mention the unreleased WayneTech she had at her disposal.

Still it wouldn't hurt to mention it to Babs. Who knew, she might actually be excited by the possible challenge.

"I'll talk to her later about it," Oliver said finally, "Did you need something else?"

"Yes," Dig replied, "I just got a message. There's been a break-in, at Applied Sciences."

Oliver turned to face Laurel with an apology already started, but Laurel was already ahead.

"Rain check?" She asked.

#SC#

Laurel had been right. Barbara had been absolutely tickled about the idea of a rival. But also, kind of alarmed that someone had managed to find out she'd been in their system.

"She's good," Barbara said as Laurel settled into the computer chair at her base cross home. Not that that she was doing anything with it, Oracle with remote access pulled files and images across the screens from half a country away. "I'll have to look into the Felicity."

"Probably a good idea," Laurel replied, resting her jaw on a hand. "Now…. what can you find about a robbery at Queens Applied Sciences."

"Nothing much," Oracle answered, as files and specs appeared across Laurel's monitors. "The facility is a closed network. I can't remote access the cameras. But I can get the police reports. It seems the thief or thieves stole an industrial centrifuge."

"I'm not going to even pretend I know what that is." Laurel replied in deadpan.

"It spins really fast, separating substances into different densities." Barbara explained simply with a laugh. "This one would have been big and be able to hold a lot of material."

Just then Oracle made an odd choking sound. "Yeah, it's really big and …."

"What?" Laurel asked, dropping her hand and sitting up straighter. Oracles tone was kind of strange.

"I found some footage, from a traffic camera near the Applied Science building and well…." She trailed off, as the video appeared on Laurels screen. "Just watch."

Laurel was sure her jaw dropped as she watched one man. One normal sized, normal looking man. Carry out a massive awkward shape, most likely an extremely heavy piece of equipment.

"What the hell," Laurel breathed. "Babs, I mean what the hell has happened to this city?"

"You were gone for six years Dinah," Barbara replied with the ease of someone that had seen a lot. "A lot can happen in six years."

#SC#

 _ **Gotham**_

 _Batman threw a smoke bomb, and the three of them scattered in different directions. She heard a twinge of repelling cord and could only guess that Batman had taken to the rafters. She hadn't tracked Huntress, but at the moment she was focused more on what was going on around herself._

 _These guys weren't special forces, but they were clearly heavily armed. As Black Canary used a chemical vat as cover to pull one man out of formation. Thankful that the smoke had yet to disperse. There was a cry and one of the men was winched to the ceiling by his ankles, as Black Canary knocked out the man in her grasp._

 _There was movement nearby as a black leather duster flickered, and another man went down with a muffled cry. She made her way over, and found Huntress straddling a man. Still punching despite his unresponsive state. Black Canary shoved her off the man, watching as the brunette rolled away before turning to glare at her._

 _Having enough with the whole situation. She turned sharply towards the regathering attackers. Inhaled sharply and then screamed._

 _The cry went out with devastating force. The strength of it sending gunmen flying. The left-over haze from the smoke bomb cleared, revealing the scattered bodies of their attackers and the ruins of the old equipment. She turned back, to find Huntress staring at her in shock. But in her hand a small compact crossbow was pointed at the unconscious man at their feet._

" _Enough," Batman stated dropping down besides them. The brunette tightened her grip on the weapon, lest Batman try to knock this one away too. "Helena enough."_

 _The use of her name made her blink. "Why," she spat after a moment. "After what these men have done, after what they've tried to do?!"_

" _So, you're going to kill them first?" Black Canary asked, "And that makes you better than them how?"_

" _I'm not trying to be better than them," Huntress growled out with surprising anger and no small amount of obvious pain. "They have to pay. For what they did, for what he did."_

" _Your Father killed your fiancé," Batman spoke, not even blinking as Huntress turned to him spitting mad._

" _SHUT UP!" She screamed, "You don't get to talk about it. You don't understand."_

" _You want Justice, you want to stop it from happening to someone else," Batman intoned, "But most of all you want vengeance."_

 _There was something in his voice and his words, that caught Huntresses attention. Even as the crossbow remained shaking as it aimed at the unconscious man._

" _Finally, its less about them and more about your own pain," His masked eyes seemed to narrow. "But now you have to ask yourself, what they…what would your fiancé think about what your doing in their name?"_

 _Huntress flinched as if struck._

" _If you keep doing what your doing," Batman continued unheeding, "One day you'll find that you'll have become what your fighting. You will become your father."_

 _Huntress dropped her crossbow and turned to run from the factory. Batman strode after her, casting Black Canary a quick side look, before continuing on._

" _Ummm." She uttered, looking around._

" _Police are on the way," Oracle informed her over the comms, "I suggest you get out of there. And don't worry about Huntress…. Batman will sort her out, or deal with her."_

#SC#

Felicity really liked Barry Allen.

She often found it hard to just click with people. Her awkward persona was often off putting to some. Not to mention that her habit of putting her foot in her mouth made her want to abandon all efforts and hide until the mortification faded.

She'd been doing better lately. Not the whole foot in the mouth part, but her reaction to it. Diggle and Oliver seemed more than happy to ignore some of the more innuendo filled statements she often blurted. She was more than happy to follow their example.

But Barry was something else. He had his own awkward way about him. Not to mention he was backed up by an obviously high intellect, that Felicity could appreciate and connect too.

Even when he was on his hands and knees, picking through track marks with a pair of tweezers.

"What exactly are you looking for?" She asked watching him work.

"Your thief's shoes touched the ground," Barry explained, settling easily into lecture mode. "Which means he tracked in dozens of clues as to where he's been the past few days. Got ya!"

He held up the tweezers in triumph and moved back to their computer set up.

"Shouldn't take long." Barry said setting the equipment to do its job. He glanced from the screen to her, and back again. Then did it again a few more times. "So, you've seen him, right? The Vigilante? I read that he saved you. What was he like?"

"…. Green." Felicity really didn't want to talk about Oliver, or Oliver's other job. The more they talked about the more chance she had of letting something slip. She couldn't lie to save herself, literally.

"Green." The simple replied did nothing to throw Barry off, instead it seemed to give him something else about Oliver to go on about. "That's interesting, right? I mean, why green? Black would be better for stealth, and urban camouflage. Me, personally, I think that he trained in some sort of like forest or jungle environment, and the green is a nod to that."

"I don't really give much thought to the vigilante," She tried again to stop his questions. Thinking maybe a redirection would work better this time. "There is more than one vigilante here in Starling."

"I know Black Canary, right?" Thankfully Barry seemed just as excited talking about the female vigilante as he did Oliver. "I've heard she wear some kind of advanced reinforced suit and uses some kind of sonic attack. There are reports of sightings of her in Gotham. Now there's a City with some interesting rumors."

"Why are you so interested in the Vigilantes?" Felicity asked, just as Barry was winding up to go on about Gotham's so-called rumors. She almost regretted it when Barry's face fell.

"When I was 11, my mom was murdered." Barry answered, turning his attention to his equipment's screen.

"I'm so sorry." Felicity gasped. Wishing she could take back the question, she'd gladly hear all about Gotham if it would get rid of that kicked puppy look on Barry's face.

"They never caught the guy who did it." Barry kept explaining. "Maybe one of these vigilantes would have."

They looked at each other for a moment. Barry's face asking her to understand, and she did. She understood perfectly. Just then the computer beeped, and Barry turned to read the results.

"The soil...there's a crystalline structure in it. That's weird." He turned to Felicity with a look of confusion. "It's sugar."

#SC#

It was strange to Laurel being in a formal dress. She hadn't had a chance to wear one in a while, and the last time. Well Barbara owed her for that one.

The Queens mansion however was like an old friend. Familiar and unchanged, yet at the same time strange to be around. The last time she'd been here, was back when Oliver had been dead.

"Hey," Ollie's voice came behind her, and she turned with a smile. Taking him in, in his suit.

"Hey," She replied, reaching out to smooth the collar of his shirt. Only to jerk her hand away, when she realized what she had been doing. It seemed the house was bringing old habits back to her. Oliver didn't seem to mind, and she covered it up with a small gesture and a simple. "You look nice."

"So do you," He returned with a deep smile.

"Well," She replied unable to stop the playful smile. "Any excuse to dress up."

"Thanks for coming," Oliver said, moving to take her arm as he led her along. "Sorry about earlier."

"It's not your fault," Laurel said, giving Oliver's arm a small hug. "You didn't have anything to do with the robbery. I'm sure the police are looking into it."

"Yeah," Oliver replied, and Laurel wondered if she had imagined the tensing of the muscles under her hands. "There were some…. developments."

He paused for a second, spotting someone across the room. He looked down at Laurel.

"Excuse me for a second?" He asked.

"Sure," Laurel replied with a nod. "It's your party. Go mingle or whatever. I'll go find Thea."

#SC#

Oliver was no stranger to throwing parties. There was a time when it was what he was best known for. But the welcome home party for his mother was a far cry from the bass thumping, alcohol flowing chaos of his youth. The classical music drifted from the ballroom, as formally dressed people drifted sparsely around the foyer. He found Felicity standing out of place in the corner.

"Can I have a word?" He asked as he approached.

"…Yeah." He tried not to wince, at her delayed reply. He didn't regret calling Barry out on his lie, he did regret the way he handled it.

"I'm sorry if I overreacted a little bit earlier." Oliver said. He could understand the younger man's desire for answers. Even if it meant ditching his own job in Central City and coming to Starling. Even if he was looking for information in vigilantes. Namely himself.

"Oh, you think?" He wondered briefly if Felicity had two tones, embarrassing or sassy. She seemed unusually gifted in both. "Look, right now you need to apologize to your mother. Not me."

"For what?" He added confusing to her list and frowned down at her.

"Your being wrong." Maybe cryptic too.

He walked towards to ballroom, freezing at the sight of the near empty room.

#SC#

Laurel watched as Oliver cross the room to a pretty blond in a pink dress.

She wondered if this house was going to keep bringing flashbacks to her all night, when the woman turned, and Laurel froze.

She knew that woman.

She'd seen her in Count Vertigo's van, hunting down the drugs. She'd guessed she was working for the Hood. It had been the most likely scenario. She'd even tag her with a tracker, that had failed to find her. But here she was, standing in front of her, talking to Oliver.

Laurel turned striding up to Thea as she waited for her mother.

"Hey," She said, grabbing the younger woman's arms as she moved her into position and gestured. "Who is that blonde talking to Oliver."

"I dunno Felicity or something," Thea replied with a shrug, "She's his secretary or something." She looked to Laurel in concern. "I'm sure its nothing. I mean they just work together.

"Thea trust me that's the last thing on my mind." Laurel said truthfully, stepping back as Moira appeared at Thea's side. Watching the two off them walk off to the ballroom, she turned back to Oliver and Felicity.

Felicity the name of the hacker going after Oracle, she works for Oliver, she probably works for the Hood. Laurel summed it up her feelings in one sentence.

"This is getting too complicated."

#SC#

It seemed Oliver's faith in the people was a bit premature. The City still needed time to come to terms with what had happened, and that Moira Queen was back living amongst them.

Moira herself was surprisingly fine with the whole thing, stating that the only opinions, the only people that matter to her was her children.

Oliver using Felicity and Barry's tracking, went up against the super strong thief and almost died from the fight. The chemical storage warehouse, was not the best place to be thrown around by someone so strong. The mystery dose of drugs that had gotten into his system had almost killed him. If not for Diggle and Felicity bringing in an unknown.

Barry Allen had saved his life, while finding out he was the Hood.

The drug induced dreams and the memories of fighting a strong opponent, brought back the demons of the island. Of Slade, of losing a friend, a brother and gaining an enemy.

He could have done without the reminder.

#SC#

Laurel got home to find Sin slumped on her front step.

"What's up," She asked dropping down beside her. "Haven't seen you for a few days."

"I wasn't sure if you wanted to see me," Sin replied softly, resting her chin against her drawn up knees. "What after Sara, and then Roy finding out I knew you."

"Hey, it's fine," Laurel said wrapping an arm around the younger girls' shoulders. "I'm kinda glad you know Sara. It means she wasn't alone, she had a friend. She had you."

"She missed you," Sin revealed turning to look at Laurel, "She talked about you all the time. D, I'm so sorry."

"Seriously," She gave Sin's shoulders a gentle shake. "It's fine. Can you tell me what you know?"

"She said she was on the run," Sin explained, "That she had left someone or something she wasn't meant to leave."

Laurel forced herself to unclench her teeth, as her jaw started to ache under the pressure.

"She came to Starling because she was worried about her family." Sin continued. "That you thought she was dead, and it was better for you to believe that."

"Oh Sara," Laurel whispered to herself, wondering how her sister could ever believe that thinking she was dead was better for her family.

Sin shifted slightly, looking away as she seemed to fight with herself.

"What?" Laurel asked cautiously. Frowning in concern.

"My friend Max. He went missing," Sin explained to her knees, unable to look at Laurel. "I didn't want to bother you. So, I went to Roy for help."

"Roy?" Laurel echoed in surprise.

"Well, I know the guys been helping out the Hood," Sin explained with a shrug, "I figured next best thing right."

Laurel heaved a sigh.

"Anyway, Roy and his girlfriend Thea," Sin continued, ignoring Laurel's surprised repeat of Thea's name as well. "We went to his house to look for clues. The police found Max dead on the side of the road. They say he O.D'd, but Laurel Max never took drugs. NEVER!"

"Okay," Laurel replied, giving Sin's shoulder a comforting rub. "So, what do you know?"

"He was lying there in the trash," Sin said sniffing slightly, "There was blood pouring from his eyes." She seemed to shake herself free of the memory. "Roy found a blood drive brochure at Max's place. The day he vanished."

"Okay," Laurel repeated, before giving what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "I can look into it. I'm sorry about your friend."

"Thanks," Sin whispered. Before her uncomfortable face returned "Uhh…. Roy went to the Hood with this. The guy shot him in the leg with an arrow."

Laurels head dropped back against her door with a groan. She had no idea what to make of that guy. Whenever she feels like she's gotten a read on him, he seems to change things up again.

"Is he alright?" Laurel asked finally.

"Yeah," Sin replied before giving a humourless laugh. "Just majorly pissed off."

They sat together for a moment before Sin turned back to her and asked.

"So, Sara said your name is Laurel?" She gave her head a curious tilt. "Do I call you Laurel or Dinah?"

"You can call me Dinah if you want," Laurel replied, with an amused smirk. "I've gotten used to it."

"Remind me to punch Ted." Laurel muttered to herself. "Right after I punch the Hood."

A/N Sorry for the wait. Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long, I dunno when it will be. But promise to at least try okay.

Some dialogue taken or inspired from episode s02e08 The Scientist, which I do not own.


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